The Assistant
by littlewonders.x
Summary: All Human. After being hired as a personal assistant to a multi-million dollar company owner, Bella Swan falls fast and hard for her boss’s son. A year later, as the pair try to figure out a way to break the news to his mother, a whole new problem ensues.
1. Confession

_Hey, so this is my first ever twilight fan fiction. I hope it's not crap. Please be honest and let me know what you think. For now, it's rated M, but I'm not sure if it will stay. Same with the title, I might change it if I happen to think of something better. Enjoy, :)._

* * *

**The Assistant.**

**Confession.**

I always knew it was wrong. She put her trust in me and I betrayed it. As I stared at the sleeping figure next to me, I couldn't help feeling the same guilt I'd been feeling for a year now.

Elizabeth Masen had hired me to be her assistant and instead, I was sleeping with her son.

I had tried so hard not to fall in love with him because I knew how much he meant to her. Edward was her only son and all she had left after the death of her husband. She had no other immediate family except him. No parents, no brothers, no sisters, no in-laws. She didn't even have any real friends. Edward was her son and her best friend. She had trusted me to be around him and I had failed her, unbeknownst to her.

_**(Flashback)**_

"_Welcome to my home, Isabella. I'm very pleased to have you" Elizabeth smiled as I entered her Seattle mansion. "I only hope Charlie has provided you with some background on what you'll be doing…" she continued._

_Charlie Swan was my father and also the chief of police in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. He had a police conference in Seattle one weekend and stumbled upon a drunken underage Edward. It happened that Elizabeth was in search for an assistant to help her run her deceased husband's multi-million dollar company and Charlie was in search of a job for myself. Charlie explained his situation to Elizabeth and she offered to hire me in exchange for Edward to be let free and the whole thing just forgotten, thus leaving Charlie happy, me with a job and Edward out of jail and without a criminal record. A week later, I was having business-free lunch with Elizabeth so she could get to know me better and find out if she could trust me. She was ecstatic to learn she could and by the end of dinner, she said Edward being caught by my father just might have been the best thing to happen all year. It made me happy to hear that. Three days later, I was at her house ready to begin my first day._

"_He was quite vague" I answered truthfully. I wasn't really sure how the whole "assistant" thing worked. A maid took my jacket and hung it in the coat-closet._

"_Well, before we dive into work, we'll start with a simple tour of the house so you can find your way around" Elizabeth smiled warmly as she touched me arm and guided me through the first floor of the house, explaining each room as she went. "Now, you should know that the basement is Edward's territory. He goes down there mostly when his friends are over. Other than that, he spends most of his time in his room or out with whomever" she explained when we reached the door to the basement; however we didn't go down into it._

_Then she took me upstairs. There was a master bedroom that was her's, a room next to it, not quite as large, but still fairly huge that was considered a guest room, where she said I would sleep had I ever needed to spend the night. It was decorated a collage of gold, tan and ivory with a queen bed and a small office space. Across the hall from those two rooms was just a very large room that served a duel purpose as both an office and a library. Then I was taken up another flight of stairs where there was a hallway with one door on each side. She led me to the door on the right and opened it to reveal a very pink room that was amazingly decorated. There was a queen bed with a pink canopy hanging over it, a full-round mirror surrounded by mannequins and fabric. A sewing machine sat on a table by the full-length window._

"_This room belongs to Mary Alice Brandon. She's a very close friend of Edward's and he insisted she had a room here. I think he like's having her around because she has the ability to always put him in a good mood. You'll see what I mean when you meet her. She's very into fashion-design and shopping" Elizabeth explained, waving her arm at the mannequins and fabric everywhere. "She doesn't sleep here often, maybe two or three times a month"_

_As she closed the door to that room and turned to explain the other door, it opened and the most beautiful man I'd ever seen stepped out. He had bronze hair in a perfect mess on his head, a tall lean figure and chiseled features. As I stared into his emerald green eyes, I tried to remember how to breathe._

"_Ah, just the man I wanted to see" Elizabeth said as she took one of the guy's hands in her own and brought me a step closer to him. "This is my son, Edward and Edward, this Isabella. She'll be working as my personal assistant" she introduced us._

_Edward let go of his mother's hand and took one of mine. Bringing it up to his lips, he kissed the back of it. He smiled a crooked smile as he let my hand slowly fall before letting it go._

"_It's very nice to meet you, Isabella. My mother has said wonderful things about you" he said in a gentle velvet voice. All thought's left me. _

"_Please, call me Bella. Elizabeth has spoken highly of you as well" I replied, once I was able to form a coherent sentence. He smiled as his response and then I felt Elizabeth's hand on my arm, turning me away from him and leading me back towards the stairs, Edward following close behind._

"_You'll learn to ignore him as he can be very distracting at times" she said, looking over her shoulder to jokingly scold her son. I heard him chuckle behind us and at that moment I knew. No matter how hard I tried, ignoring him would inevitably be impossible…_

_**(End of Flashback)**_


	2. Promise

_First off, thanks for the reviews!_

_I did the first chapter in Bella's point of view, but this one is done in Edward's. After that, I'm just going to keep alternating between the two, so the third chapter will be Bella, the fourth will be Edward, and so on. I'll let you know if I add in someone else's point of view, like Elizabeth's, or Alice's, etc. So enjoy and let me know what you think, :)._

* * *

**Promise.**

"Bella, we really need to be going. You know how Alice is if we're late" I reminded her as she rushed around her small one-bedroom apartment looking for her other earring. She looked so frustrated, it was adorable.

I caught her in my arms when she tried to look on her dresser behind me. She stared up at me, he cheeks flushed from all the movement.

"Do you really need earrings?" I dared to ask her. She sighed and I smiled victoriously as she reached up and took the one earring she had, out.

She reached behind me and set it on the dresser. "Happy?" she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.

I leaned down and kissed her for a brief moment and then rested my forehead against hers. "Very" was my answer. Then I felt her arms snake around my waist and she moved her forehead to rest on my chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous" she admitted.

"Why, love?" I asked, tightening my hold on her. She had a tendency to get worked up over the most insignificant things.

"Because" she started, moving her head to look up at me. "Every time we go out together, we risk your mother finding out about us. I don't want her to hate you. Or me" she said honestly. That was the one of the things she _always_ got worked up over.

We'd been together behind my mother's back for a year and no matter how much I tried to convince her, she was sure that if we didn't tell my mother soon, she was going to find out on her own and it would be much worse. Mainly she worried that my mother would be upset with me for not being honest about who I was dating, but I didn't think it really mattered weather she knew or not. It was part of my personal life.

The only reason I opted not to tell her is because she would want a say in it. In her mind, she already had the woman I was to marry in her head. And the woman she imagined was nothing like my Bella. So I didn't tell her and I didn't want to tell her until I had a ring on Bella's finger, ensuring me that no matter what, we would be together.

There were very few people who knew about me and Bella. Among them were mine and Bella's friends, Emmett McCarty, Alice Brandon, Rosalie Hale and Jasper Whitlock. There was no need for anyone other than them to know. They were the only people we ever really cared to spend time with because we'd known them our whole lives. I'd known Alice and Emmett since elementary school and Bella had known Rosalie and Jasper since before they even went to school. When Bella and I got together, we had Alice and Emmett meet Rosalie and Jasper and it worked out perfectly. Emmett fell for Rosalie and vice versa. And we all knew Jasper liked Alice as much as she liked him. They all approved of us and that was enough for us.

"Bella, she wouldn't hate us. She would be disappointed in us, but she wouldn't hate us. Someday she _will_ find out because we _will_ tell her. But today's not that day, okay?" I tried my best to reassure her.

"When then?" she asked. I knew she was hoping we would tell her sometime like tomorrow. She hated lying, but right now. I knew it was for the best. I was sure of it.

"Soon" I answered, hoping that would satisfy her.

"Do you promise?" she barely whispered.

"Of course" I answered as I watched a smile creep onto her face.

"Good" she responded before she brought her hands to my head and pulled it down to hers, molding our lips together. As I kissed her back, I could only hope I would be able to keep that promise.

* * *

_Sorry this wasn't very long, but I got excited about getting reviews and thought I'd post this as a thank-you! So thanks! :D_


	3. Pizza and Beer

**Pizza & Beer**

Edward and I took a cab to Alice's. We couldn't risk walking because the company Elizabeth runs attracts enough attention to her family to make them appear as if they were celebrities. The news papers were just waiting for Edward to screw up so they could exploit him. I would not have Elizabeth find out about us as a scandal in the news paper. When we tell her, it will be just us. It will be on our terms and no one else's.

We got to Alice's and the gang was already there. Emmett and Jasper playing a speed racing game on the X-box, Rosalie absentmindedly painting her finger-nails and Alice talking a mile-a-minute as she lead us to the others.

"Yes!" Emmett's booming voice cheered as he was suddenly on his feet, fists punching the air above him. "I finally beat you!" he continued to cheer as we all just stared at him.

He had been trying to beat Jasper at that game for two months now, but Jasper had some serious skill. It all started when Emmett bet Jasper he could beat him and then lost. He refused to accept that there was a game someone else could beat him at. Thus every time they were near an X-box, Emmett would challenge him. It was usually quite entertaining.

When Emmett calmed, we all broke out into laughter. Only Emmett could win a game and seem as though he'd just been given a key to the city.

"I think in honor of my win, we should order a pizza" Emmett suggested, sitting back down on the floor.

Rosalie screwed the lid to her nail polish back on and slipped onto the floor and laid herself between Emmett's legs. She rested her head on his chest and he brought his arms around her waist to hold her there. They were so perfect for each other.

"And beer. Yeah, I'm craving beer" Jasper added, nodding his head.

Alice jumped off of the couch. "Pizza and beer it is!" she chirped as she took off to the kitchen to place the order. She returned in seconds, coat in hand. "Come on Jasper. Come with me to the liquor store" she said as he grinned and stood up, following her to the door.

"We'll be back soon!" Jasper yelled as they closed the door behind them.

"God, they should just get married and get it over with" I said as I plopped onto the couch.

Edward came to sit beside me and placed his arm around me. I brought my legs up and curled up against his side, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I know. I've been telling her that since they met" Rosalie agreed.

Edward chuckled. "They'll get there, Bella. Give it time"

Emmett snorted. "How much more time do they need?" No one answered and then his face practically lit up. "I say we drug 'em, sneak 'em off to Vegas and have them get married while they're unconscious" he sounded proud of his idea.

I saw Edward smile and try not to laugh out of the corner of my eye. I was doing the same. Rosalie was shaking her head, suppressing a smile.

"I think it would work out in the long run" he continued. "Hell, they might even thanks us" he continued, but by then we had lost all sense of control and Edward, Rosalie and I were shaking with laughter.

Emmett wasn't the brightest bulb, but he had other redeeming qualities. Like his ability to make you laugh no matter what mood your in. If you ever needed to smile and you couldn't find Alice, no doubt, go to Emmett.

"Or kill us" Edward managed to say, causing Rosalie and I to laugh harder.

Emmett glared at Edward. "Your just mad you didn't think of it first"

I didn't think it was possible to laugh any harder, but we managed.

"Emmett, please!" Rosalie clutched her stomach, tears threatening her eyes. "I don't want anymore abs. If I laugh any harder, I'll have a six-pack" she told him.

By this time, Jasper and Alice had reentered the house and stared at the scene before them. Edward, Rosalie and I in hysterics and Emmett in a huff. Jasper held a 24 pack of beer under his right arm and Alice held a bottle of wine in her hands. Each of them had one eye-brow raised.

I don't know how we managed, but we finally started to calm down. Our full-blown laughter wearing off as we took deep breaths. Of all the plans Emmett could have had to get Jasper and Alice married, he chose drugs and Vegas. But that wasn't even the funny part; the funny part is that he was actually serious and we all knew it.

"What's going on?" Alice asked a little cautiously.

Emmett went to speak, but Rosalie covered his mouth with a kiss which completely captured his attention. She knew if Emmett actually told Alice his plan, she would turn red and never speak to us again. Emmett wasn't even supposed to know Alice liked Jasper, but Rosalie never keeps secrets from him. She would never trust us again if she knew that both he _and_ Edward knew about her little crush. She'd told Rosalie and I in confidence, as she'd put it, making us swear to tell no one. But Edward overheard Rosalie and I talking about it and then Rosalie thought it was only fair if Emmett knew too.

"Just Emmett being Emmett" I answered.

Jasper shrugged. "Well, too bad we missed it"

Emmett pulled away from Rosalie to glare at him. Then Jasper and Alice went to the kitchen to stock up the fridge. They returned later with a glass of wine for each person. Jasper sat on the couch next to Edward and I and Alice lay on her side on the floor, holding her head in her hand and propping herself up on her elbow.

"So, I've been thinking" Alice started, to which we all grimaced.

Whenever those words left Alice's mouth, the follow-up was never good. For me, it usually meant a shopping escapade. I shuddered at the thought. I loved Alice to death, but the girl had an obsession. She really was the true definition of _shopoholic. _

"Hey! Not all of my ideas are bad" she pouted. She took a swallow of her wine and then continued. "I was going to propose a game of twenty questions" she finished, taking another swallow.

That didn't sound so bad.

But then she continued. "With a catch of course" her eyes twinkled with evilness.

I spoke too soon.

"Define catch" Edward told her, looking curious but at the same time worried.

Alice grinned mischievously. "One person will ask someone else a question and they will choose weather or not to answer it. After their decision is made, it will be their turn to ask someone else. The catch: for each question you chose not to answer, you have to remove an article of clothing. Last person standing wins"

"And the rules?" Rosalie asked, knowing Alice wouldn't leave us without rules.

"First rule, each person can only ask twenty questions, so choose wisely. Second, if you're removing an article of clothing like a sock, you have to remove both of them. Third, belts count as an article of clothing" she explained. "Everyone in?" she asked.

"I'm in" Jasper said, to which we all suppressed a smile. Of course he was in.

"We're in" Emmett said, pointing to himself and Rosalie.

"Edward and Bella?" Alice asked.

I turned to meet Edward's eyes. I knew what he was doing. He was waiting to see if I wanted to play because if I didn't, he was going to sit out with me. Well, he wasn't getting off that easy.

"I'm game if you are" I told him.

His mouth formed a smile and I knew he'd secretly enjoy this. I had a feeling I wouldn't be wearing much by the end of the game.

Edward turned his head toward Alice. "We're in"

Alice smiled devilishly. "Then let the games begin" she took another swallow of her drink.

* * *

_Thanks for the reviews! I'll try to have the next chapter up tomorrow.  
_


	4. Twisted Twenty Questions

**Twisted Twenty Questions**

We had pushed back the couch in Alice's living room, creating more space between it and the TV. Then the six of us sat in a circle. Bella sat to my left; beside her was Jasper, then Emmett, the Rosalie, then Alice and then back to me.

I was a little nervous about playing this game. If I knew the five people sitting around me, then I knew what kind of questions they would ask. The point of the game is to ask questions people wouldn't want to answer, thus they must be very personal and embarrassing. I had already selected a question for each one of them.

"Alright Emmett, since you have no shame, you can start us off" Alice said as Emmett grinned.

Emmett turned to Jasper and let his hand drop on Jasper's shoulder, his grin getting wider. "Jasper, man, what's your favourite sexual position?"

And so it began.

Jasper's face fell and he reluctantly reached down to take off both of his socks. I chuckled to myself. Jasper would never admit something like that in front of Alice. I had a feeling Emmett had picked up on it too. Emmett took back his hand, laughing at his first victory, but I knew this would come back to bite him.

Setting his socks in the middle of our circle, Jasper looked up to face us. "Rosalie" he said and her head snapped in his direction. "What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for Emmett?" he asked, forming a grin of his own.

I looked at Rosalie, already knowing she wouldn't answer. Rosalie would _never_ admit to being romantic as she thinks it shows weakness.

Just like I predicted, Rosalie grimaced and took off her zip-up sweater, throwing it in the middle with Jasper's socks. I heard Bella give a small laugh at her friend and then I caught the glare Rosalie gave her. Bella was going to regret that laugh…

"Bella, where was the strangest place you and Edward ever had sex?" she asked with a triumphant smile.

Bella and I both grimaced. We had managed to keep that one a well-kept secret. I wondered if Bella would be brave enough to say it. When I looked at Bella, I was surprised to see her smiling as she undid the belt buckle on her pants.

"Sorry Rose, it's a secret" she said.

Her eyes made contact with mine as she slid the belt out of the belt-loops and set it in the growing pile of clothes. I instantly recalled the memory and wondered if she was smiling because she was remembering it as well.

Believe it or not, it was at a school. Bella and I had accompanied my mother to a high school where she was going from class to class talking about the company. Bella had been wearing a tight white tank-top and a very flowy brown skirt that clung to her figure every time she moved. Her hair was down and in ringlets falling on her shoulders. She was beautiful and it was killing me to not be able to touch her. Thankfully, after two hours, my mother sent her to retrieve coffee. Bella glanced at me very briefly before she left and as soon as her eyes met mine, I knew exactly what she wanted. I made a story of needing to call Alice and left the room as well where I found Bella leaning against the wall by the door. I grabbed her hand and we bolted to the nearest empty classroom, closed and locked the doors, then practically tore each others clothes off. That was the first time I'd ever had sex on a teachers desk. It still fazed me that we hadn't got caught.

"Alice" Bella started as Alice directed her attention to her. "Who was the worst person you ever slept with?" she asked.

I admired Bella for asking the easy questions as not to embarrass her friends, but I worried because they would not show her the same mercy. Out of everyone in the room, Bella was the easiest to embarrass and I knew they'd use that against her.

Alice looked thoughtful for a moment. "Probably that guy from the 4th of July party" she answered, nodding her head until a disgusted expression took over her face. I assumed she was recalling the night. "I don't think he had a clue what he was doing"

We all laughed at that one. We had warned her not to leave the party with a guy in her drunken state. But she laughed it all off and said we'd be sorry for doubting her. She hadn't spoken a word about it until now.

"Edward" I cringed, hearing Alice say my name. "When was your last cold shower and who and what caused it?" she asked.

I gave a sigh of relief. The question wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. It was actually sort of easy.

"Three o'clock this morning. Bella was moaning my name in her sleep and I couldn't bring myself to wake her because my mother had worked her pretty hard yesterday. She needed her sleep" I answered truthfully.

They all stared at me for my blunt honesty for a second and then looked at Bella who was blushing. She had no idea that she sometimes said or moaned my name in her sleep. I never told her because I had a weird fear that it wouldn't happen anymore. I only told her now because I was content to keep my clothes on as long as possible. At least until I took Bella home.

"Emmett, how many times has Rosalie turned you down?" I asked, hoping he'd be too ashamed to admit it.

It was a long-shot, but I wasn't planning on asking him anything he could go into detail with. The less I knew about him and Rosalie, the better.

Emmett grinned. "Rosie never turns me down. Doesn't matter where we are" he answered, putting an arm around Rosalie's waist as a smile appeared on her face as well.

"Bella, what's the loudest you've ever screamed during sex?" he asked, seemingly amused.

Bella blushed furiously as she ducked her head and took off her socks. She threw her socks in the middle and turned her attention to Jasper.

"Jasper, what's the longest you've ever been without sleeping with someone?" she asked, again supplying and easy question.

Jasper thought for a moment. "Um, six months…I think. Could have been seven. Either way, it was hell" he answered truthfully. "Alice, what's one thing you consider before sleeping with someone?"

"I always ask myself if I'm going to like this guy in the morning. I don't want to do it unless A) I'm really drunk or B) its going to mean something" she answered without hesitating.

I wondered if Jasper had asked her that for his own benefit. It wasn't a secret that he liked her, well at least not to anyone who _wasn't_ Alice. I still couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out yet.

"Rosalie" Alice started. "How loud can Emmett make you moan?"

Rosalie grinned. "You all should know, you've heard us" she answered as Emmett gave a smug smile.

We had heard them. We'd had to leave the house after fifteen minutes of hearing them.

Rosalie turned her attention to me and I instantly hoped her question would be as easy as Alice's. "Edward, what's your favourite sexual fantasy about Bella?" Who was I kidding? This _was_ Rosalie.

I sighed and began removing my belt. I wasn't going to tell them the hopes I'd conjured up for Bella and I. The only person I'd ever tell something like that is Bella herself.

"Yeah right Rose, he probably doesn't even talk dirty to Bella let alone us" Jasper laughed.

I threw my belt in the middle and glared at him. "No, she's just the only one I _will_ talk dirty to" I told him, glancing at Bella as a smile formed on her lips.

Alice raised her eye-brows. "Whoa, gentlemanly never-kiss-and-tell Edward has a wild side we didn't know about?" she asked.

I smirked. "Only for Bella"

Alice and Jasper looked impressed, Emmett looked shocked, Rosalie looked amused and Bella still held a smile.

"Anyways, on with the game" I told them. "Bella, where's your favourite place to fantasize about me?" I asked her, knowing full well that she wouldn't answer. At least not in front of everyone.

As I predicted, Bella jokingly gave me a glare and removed her black silk button-up blouse, throwing it in the middle and leaving her in a white tank-top.

"Emmett, what about Rosalie turns you off?" she asked.

Rosalie turned to look at Emmett. "Yeah, Emmett. What about me turns you off?" she dared him to answer.

We all laughed as Emmett glared at Bella and pulled his sweater over his head. He threw it in the middle with all the other articles of clothing.

"Edward, how many times a day do you fantasize about Bella?" he asked, a triumphant smile taking over his face.

He knew I wouldn't answer that. What was with them and wanting information on my fantasies involving Bella? I sighed and took off my socks and threw them in the middle. I hoped no one asked me anything because I didn't have that much left to take off.

"Alice" I started. "Who was the first person you ever slept with?" I asked, already knowing the answer and also knowing she would never tell.

Her first time was with a guy we all knew and hated: Mike Newton. She was _really_ drunk and Mike was just the one guy who happened to be talking to her at that moment. She sorely regretted it in the morning and called me to come pick her up from his house. When I did, she explained everything to me and begged me to tell no one. I'd kept good on my word and sometimes used it as blackmail in games such as this.

Alice glared at me and pulled off her t-shirt, leaving her in the tank-top she had on underneath. She threw it in the middle and turned her attention to Jasper.

"Jasper, how many people have you ever slept with?" she asked.

I laughed to myself. Jasper would never tell her that. He wanted too much to look like a saint in her eyes. Admitting to something like that, especially with a count like Jasper's, would cause her to deem him unworthy of a relationship with her.

He took off his belt and threw it in the middle. "Bella, when and where was the last time you had sex?" he asked.

Bella surprised the hell out of us all when she nonchalantly answered. "Right before Alice called to invite us over this morning and we were in my apartment"

We all just stared at her for a moment. Not one of us expected my shy and quiet Bella to answer that. She didn't even blush either.

"Rosalie" Bella started. "How many guys have ever turned you down?" she asked, knowing Rosalie had too much ego to admit to being turned down.

Rosalie thought of herself as a goddess. Admitting to being turned down would be like abruptly dethroning a Queen to her.

"What the hell" Rosalie said as she pulled her shirt over her head and threw it in the middle.

She sat back into position as Emmett's arm snaked around her, probably making sure we all knew she was his now that she was only in her black bra and blue jean mini-skirt. This didn't surprise us because Rosalie didn't care about showing off her body. She was very confident with herself and it bugged the hell out of Emmett since he thought he should be the only one to ever see her body. I always thought he got too worked up, I mean, we all knew Jasper only had eyes for Alice and I was hopelessly in love with Bella no matter what Rosalie looked like.

"Edward, when was the last time you pleasured yourself not thinking about Bella?" Rosalie asked.

Bella turned her head to look at me, awaiting my answer. I couldn't answer that. Not in front of her. So since I didn't have a lot left to take off, I pulled off my shirt and threw it in the middle.

"Jasper" I started. "If you could sleep with anyone in this room, who would it be?" I asked.

I knew he wouldn't say because then his "secret" would be out and the game would have to stop because of revelations. He glared at me as he too took off his shirt and threw it in the middle.

"Emmett, if you were to let Rosalie cheat on you with someone for one night, who would it be?" Jasper asked.

Emmett thought for a moment. "Probably Edward" he answered which threw me off for a second. _Why me?_ "Because I know he'd probably be the only one to turn her down" he finished.

I guess that made sense.

Rosalie however, took it offensively. "What makes you say that?" she asked, pulling his arm off of her.

Emmett's face went blank. You could literally see him trying to figure out a way to get himself out of the situation he'd managed to get himself into. "Well, it's not that he wouldn't find you unattractive Rosie, he just isn't the type of guy to sleep with his friend's girlfriend, permission or not. Now Jasper's kind of sketchy and I just plain don't trust anyone else" he explained as Jasper made a shocked face.

"Hey, I would never try to sleep with Rosalie" Jasper defended himself.

Rosalie turned her attention to him. "Why? Is there something wrong with me?"

Alice, Bella and I laughed. It was too funny watching Rosalie make them squirm.

"Well, no, I'm just a good friend is all" Jasper answered.

Rosalie made an 'hmph' noise and went back into Emmett's arm.

"Anyways" Emmett started as we our laughing faded. "Bella, when was the last time you fantasized about Edward?" he asked.

Bella sighed and began taking off her lacy navy blue bra from underneath her shirt. She pulled it out from the bottom and threw it in the middle. I wanted nothing right at that moment then to just take her back to her apartment.

"Alice" Bella started. "If you could pick anyone in the entire world to sleep with, who would it be?" she asked.

Alice grimaced and used Bella's maneuver to take off her own red bra and throw it in the middle.

"Rosal-" Alice started, but was cut off by her phone ringing. She rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'll be right back" she said before she took off to the kitchen to answer the phone.

"Hey guys, I just realized something" Emmett started as we all looked at him, waiting for him to finish. "Where the hell is our pizza?" he asked.

We all looked at each other as if one of us secretly knew the answer.

"Yeah, we ordered it, like…an hour ago" Jasper said.

Bella shrugged. "Maybe they went to the wrong house"

"Damn delivery guys…" Emmett cursed them as we all laughed.

Then Alice returned, not bothering to sit back down. "Sorry guys, we're going to have to cut the game short. My parents are on their way home and I don't feel like explaining why there are a group of half-naked teenagers in their living-room" she explained. "So I guess with Emmett having only discarding one piece of clothing, he wins" she added.

Emmett cheered as we all stood and started to sort out our clothing. As we were getting re-dressed, I noticed Bella starting to put her bra back on with her back facing all of us. I walked over to her and placed my hand on her arm and putting my mouth by her ear.

"Don't bother, you won't need it" I whispered before moving away and pulling my shirt on.

She turned around with a mischievous grin on her face. She stretched her head to see over my shoulder. "Hey guys, we're going to leave, okay?" she said as more of a statement than a question.

They shouted their good-byes and smart remarks as I scooped her up bridal style, put on our shoes, grabbed our jackets and left.

* * *

_Sorry I took so long, but I've had heaps of homework and I've been studying for exams next week, so I'm not sure when I'll even be able to get the next chapter up. I'll try to have it up by Wednesday at the latest, but no promises. Thanks for the reviews!  
_


	5. After Effect

_So, I managed to find a moment to write this chapter. It's my first ever attempt at writing lemon, so hopefully it doesn't suck. If you're not a fan of lemon, you can skip this chapter. I made sure to put nothing crucial in it, so you won't miss anything. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!  
__  
Night script:_ _Don't worry, I agree with you. My summary blows, but at the time I just needed something to write down. I'm working on a better one that won't give too much away. I'll update it when it's finished and then you can tell me if it still blows, lol._

* * *

**After Effect.**

I hated when Edward called his mother and lied by saying he was spending the night at Emmett's. But at the same time, I loved it because I knew he was really spending the night with me. Just me and him. No other people, no interruptions, no worries. Just us.

Not even minutes after he hung up the phone, his arms were around me, pulling me to him as our lips moved together. My arms went around his neck and he gripped my hips, lifting me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. His hands moved to my back, under my shirt as we separated only long enough to take a breath.

He turned himself around and walked backwards until he could just fall back on the bed. I pulled away from him and sat up, still straddling him as his hands made their way back to my hips and held me there. I smiled at him before I grabbed the bottom of my both my blouse and my tank-top and pulled it over my head. Edward sat up as I threw my shirts to the floor and then his lips were on my chest, teasing me. I threw my head back and moaned as he moved to my neck.

He kissed his way up my neck until his hands grabbed my head and brought it towards him. He held my face in his hands as he kissed along my jaw-line until he reached my lips. It was then that I decided he was wearing far too much clothes. My hands traveled to the hem of his shirt and I tugged on it until he lifted his arms above his head. He stopped kissing me long enough so that I could pull his shirt over his head and throw it on the floor with mine.

I gently pushed on his chest until he was lying down and then put my hands on his chest to support myself. I leaned over him and tilted my head to kiss his neck. I playfully and lightly bit his neck and then smiled when he moaned my name. His breathing sped up as I slowly kissed a straight line down his chest, stopping just below his navel when he suddenly grabbed my head and looked at me with a longing look of desire.

I smiled and moved my hands to the button on his jeans, undoing it and zipper before we both got them off of him. His boxers followed quickly after and then he flipped us so he was hovering above me. He stared into my eyes for a few seconds, but he crushed my mouth with his. His hands traveled down to my jeans and then they were gone.

My hands held onto his head as he started to tease me the same way I had done to him. He first kissed my neck, then my chest and so on. He stopped at the hem of my panties, then his fingers tugged at the fabric, slowly sliding it down my legs until it was entirely gone. He kissed the skin just beside my hip, causing me to moan his name. Then he brought his head back up to meet my lips. I arched into him as one of his hands began to work on my breast. When neither of us could take anymore, he slowly slid himself into me.

It happened so often now that it didn't hurt. It was just pure pleasure as he moved faster and deeper. I moaned and said his name several times as did he. My fingers clawed into his back as we came close to our climax. He covered my mouth with his as I reached my release and then he followed soon after. He collapsed on top of me, both of us panting.

Edward rolled onto his back and pulled me with him. He held me in his arm as I laid my head on his sweaty chest.

"We should play that game more often if it's going to have this effect on us afterward" I managed to get out as my fingers traced the muscles in his stomach.

Edward chuckled. "How about we just skip the game and get straight to the good part?"

I turned my head and placed a kiss on his chest before looking up at him. "I could live with that" I said as he smiled.

He pulled my head up and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss quickly got deeper and his tongue licked my bottom lip. I opened my mouth to him and he slid his tongue in and started to massage mine, readying us for what I'm sure was round two…


	6. Phone Call

_Sorry this sort of took a while. I had exams and then I managed to catch some form of the flu. Fantastic, I know (-take that sarcastically, I didn't actually enjoy it, lol). I did put up a new summary, so you guys will have to tell me what you think. Anyways, I hope this will make up for the wait. Thanks for the reviews!  
_

_Lemon warning!(for those who don't like reading it)  
_

* * *

**Phone Call**

Bella was so beautiful when she slept. She looked so serene that I was afraid to breathe because I thought it might wake her. She was sleeping on her side, facing me with one of her arms under her head. Her other arm was draped over my side while I propped myself up on one elbow to stare down at her. The blanket was up high enough to cover her naked form, but whatever skin _was_ showing, was glowing softly in the rays of sunlight from the window.

I loved watching her sleep. She hated it. Why? Because she talks in her sleep. That's how I found out she was in love with me. She had mumbled it in her sleep. I'd been debating on and off to tell her I loved her for weeks, but I wasn't sure if it would be too soon. Then one night while I was watching her sleep, her lips twitched and all I heard was "I love you, Edward". That was all I needed to hear. I waited until she woke up, looked her directly in the eyes and said "I love you too, Bella". I had caught her off guard and she wasn't sure what I meant, but I don't think she really cared, she was just ecstatic to hear me say it.

I glanced at the clock on Bella's nightstand. 10:47am. It was later then I thought it would be. I thought it was still somewhere between 8:30am and 9:00am.

"Edward…" Bella's voice _moaned_ my name. I turned my head to look at her as she shifted around to lye on her back, moving her arms to her sides. She was still sound asleep.

I lost all thought when I felt her curl her toes against my legs and mumble something incoherent, gripping the sheets tighter with her hands while her breathing picked up. She made soft moans and twisted her body several times. I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to take before I had to wake her up.

"Edward, please…" her voice suddenly sounded kind of husky as she barely whispered those two words. "I need you, right now"

I couldn't do it anymore. It was turning me on and she needed to wake up. I took my hand and placed my palm on the side of her face, stroking her cheek with my thumb.

"Bella, wake up" I said softly.

She mumbled something and then turned on her side, throwing her leg around me and laying her forehead against my chest, but she didn't wake up. So I tried again.

"Bella, please wake up" I said a bit louder.

This time it worked. Her eyes slowly blinked open and then she moved her head to stare up at me.

"What? Is something wrong?" she asked, waking up a bit more.

"You were just dreaming out loud and I didn't want to take advantage of you while you were asleep" I answered truthfully, a smile playing on my lips as I continued to stroke her cheek.

She blushed a deep color, but smiled none-the-less. "I'm sorry" She whispered.

I shrugged. "If your really that sorry, I have a way you could make it up to me"

Her blush faded and her eye brow quirked. "Oh? And how is that?" she asked, seemingly curious.

I grinned and then grabbed her by the waist and turned on my back so that she ended up sitting up, straddling me.

"Oh, I see" she laughed, already starting to lean down and kiss my chest.

She placed soft warm kisses on random parts of my chest, occasionally nipping at the skin there. Her hands ran up and down my stomach while I kept my hold on her waist. Slowly, she moved her lips to my neck and then my jaw-line and just as she was about to kiss my lips, music started to play.

_Wonder why I'm so caught of guard when we kiss.  
Rather live my life in regret then do this.  
What happened to the love we both knew?  
We both chased.  
Hanging on a cigarette you need me,  
you burn me you'll burn me._

"Disintegration" by Jimmy Eat World was Bella's favorite song, thus it was the ring-tone on her cell phone for everyone that called. I heard her groan very loudly. She reached over and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand. Clicking the **send** button, she sat up straight, still straddling me and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked in a _very_ uninterested tone. I knew she was more than a little peeved we'd had been interrupted before we could even really began. I suddenly had an idea. "Oh, good morning to you too" she continued on.

I sat up slowly, tilted my head to the side and started kissing her neck. I moved agonizingly slow and she melted into my touch, starting to fumble on her words. She was probably only talking to Alice or Rose.

"What?" she asked, too distracted to catch what the person had said.

One of my hands held onto her waist and I let my other hand wonder up to her chest. I took her breast in my hand and started caressing circles with my thumb, squeezing gently every now and then. "Um…what, uh…what time?" she bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly and I knew she was trying extremely hard to focus on her phone conversation.

I decided I couldn't have that. Rose or Alice could wait. So, to make sure I got all of Bella's attention completely, I slowly dragged my hand from her breast, down her stomach, over her hip until I reached her leg. I slowly ran my fingers along the inside of her thigh until I reached her sensitive skin. She gasped as I slipped a finger inside of her. She bit her lip harder to keep from moaning and then gasped again when I pulled out and then slipped two fingers inside her.

"Oh my…I have to um, go. I'll…I'll, um, see you…later" and with that she hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor. "Lay down, now" she told me.

I took my hand away from her and did as she said. Instead of teasing her any farther, I grabbed her hips and lowered her onto me. She placed her hands on my chest to hold her up and then she started moving, riding me. She started slowly, but I wanted her to move faster. So I used my hands to make her hips move faster which she did easily. She rode me fast and hard and I loved every minute of it.

After we'd both reached our release, she collapsed on top of me and I ran my fingers through her hair. She wrapped her arms around me and I wrapped my free arm around her back, holding her as close as I could. She put her ear to my chest and I knew she was listening to my erratic heart-beat. She loved that she could make my heart do that, it made her feel special. She was the only one who could make my heart do that.

"You know, that was _your mother_ on the phone" Bella informed me as I froze.

Wow, I'd just gave my girlfriend oral sex while she was on the phone with my mother so she would end the conversation and give me the real thing. Good thing I hadn't decided I wanted Bella to say me name. That would have gone over _real_ well.

I laughed. "I thought it was Alice or Rose. What did she want?" I asked, curiously.

What had my mother so kindly interrupted us for?

"She wants me to meet her for lunch, but she wouldn't say why. But anyways, that means that I'm going to go take a shower and your going to stay right here. I told her I'd be there in twenty minutes and I can't have anymore distractions" she teased.

I laughed. "Alright, go shower up. I'll wait and get one after you" I kissed her forehead.

She nodded, placed a kiss on my chest and then got up. Just as she was about to get off the bed, she was positioned perfectly and so I playfully slapped her on the ass. Shocked, she turned around to look at me. I shrugged as her face broke into a mischievous grin and then she disappeared into the bathroom.

I decided to just lay there for a few minutes. As I heard the shower turn on, I tried to figure out why my mother wanted Bella to meet her for lunch. Usually she just calls Bella and then the three of us (sometimes four if Alice is there) eat at my house. And plus, I hadn't been invited to this super-secret lunch meeting. I hadn't even been told about it and mother tells me everything.

Oh well. I was probably overreacting. It was probably just business stuff that I didn't really care about. It's probably nothing to worry about…


	7. Decision

_Hey guys, thanks for the reviews! I really didn't think I would have that many, so it's pretty cool._

JennCullen87 _- I hadn't really decided on their ages, so I guess we'll say that Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie are 19, and Bella, Alice and Edward are 18_.

_Anyways, read on to find out why Elizabeth wants to meet with Bella. Hopefully you won't be disappointed..._

* * *

**Decision**

As I sat with Elizabeth at a small café table, I tried to dismiss the fact that not even an hour ago, I had been sneaking around with her son. I always felt guilty whenever I had to face her after having spent the night with Edward. I didn't regret it; I just wish it didn't have to be a secret. I wanted her to know that I was in love with him; I wanted her to be happy for us. I knew Edward wanted it too. That's probably _why_ I wanted it so bad.

I had been feeling kind of nervous ever since Elizabeth called this morning. She had said she wanted to meet for lunch, but wouldn't say why. All she told me was that there was something really important that she needed my opinion on. Something that wasn't really business-related. I had racked my brain the whole time coming here, but I could think of nothing.

"I bet your probably wondering what I've dragged you out of bed for" Elizabeth said as she took a small sip of her tea.

I held onto my plain old hot chocolate, letting it cool before I drank any of it. "A little…"

She smiled and set her tea back on the table. I was not prepared for what she said next.

"I've noticed that lately Edward's been kind of…well, childish, maybe, I'm not sure how to describe it. It's like he's not interested in his future and he hasn't got anything set in stone. I feel like, as his mother, I should change that. We all know that one day, when I'm no longer able, Edward's going to be expected to take over the company and I need him to be ready, I need him to be focused. But more importantly, I want him to be happy with a family of his own. That's where you and I come in Bella" Elizabeth paused and then reached across the table to take my hands in hers. "Bella, I want you to help me find a wife for Edward"

I stared blankly at her as the reality of the situation sank in. She wanted me to help her choose a wife for her son and the man I was madly in love with? Was she serious? I couldn't do that. I just couldn't. I loved him; I couldn't just simply give him away.

"Elizabeth, I really don't think it's my place to-" I started to decline, but she let go of my hands and waved one in the air as if to dismiss my worries.

"Bella, Bella, Bella" she started, a smile forming. "Of course it's your place if I'm asking you" she laughed.

I tried to smile, but came up short. "But why would you ask me though?" I asked, curiously.

Surely there was someone else that could help her in this situation. Like Alice for example. Alice knew Edward like the back of her hand, she would be better at this than I would.

Elizabeth's smile turned loving. "Bella, you've been so good to me and Edward both. You know how much I care about him. He's all that I have; I wouldn't leave this decision up to just anyone. Your like a daughter to me, Bella. I couldn't make a decision like this without your opinion. Would you please help me?" she asked.

I felt like crying. She thought of me as her daughter? She had never once told me that before and the guilt just drowned me. If she only knew just how good I've been to Edward, she would take that compliment back in a heart beat.

I wanted to say "No, I can't help, I'm sorry", but I couldn't bring myself to. How does one deny someone after they tell you they view you as family? Plus all of the sneaking around, I felt like I owed it to her to just do as she asked, no matter how hard it would be. But maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a say in who Elizabeth _thought_ Edward should be with.

"Sure Elizabeth, I'd love to" I replied to which her smile grew and she took a satisfied sip of her tea.

I stared at my full hot chocolate. Somehow, my thirst seemed to have vanished.

"Thank you Bella, so much" she beamed, then she pulled a thin binder out of her bag and set in on the table in-between us. "I've made a list of all of the available women who are ready to settle down and wouldn't mind doing so with Edward. I've been planning this for a while, but I didn't want to ask you until it was a for sure thing. I've narrowed it down to a top five and I'd like you to come with me and sort of interview them" she explained as I took the binder in my hands.

I flipped open the binder and was surprised to see five pages with the basic information of each potential woman. Each potential woman who was interested in a future with _my_ Edward. I would probably hate them all, but my opinion on who Edward should marry might be a little biased. Of course, had Elizabeth known that, we wouldn't be in this situation.

"Interview them?" I asked as my eyes quickly scanned the pages, catching the gist of it all.

Elizabeth nodded. "Just a few questions to make sure that they are the right one for my Edward. You can feel free to ask any questions you'd like because after we've met each woman; my end decision will be based on what you think. If you think one of them is all wrong for him, then I'll trust your judgment. But if you think one of them has potential, then that's the woman I'll want him to be with" she explained.

I couldn't help but wonder something. "You must have an awful lot of faith in me if your letting me choose a wife for Edward" I said.

Elizabeth shrugged. "Bella, I know you. Your not one to make rash decisions. You consider every little detail before you jump into something. Like I said earlier, you know how much he means to me. I can't imagine you not taking this seriously. I know you'll pull through. You always do" she explained.

Suddenly, she stood up, grabbing her bag as she did so. I handed her back the binder and she slid it back in her bag and slung it on her shoulder.

"I should get going. I've got things to do, errands to run. I'd like you to take the day off and I don't want to see you until tomorrow at this café at noon. We'll be meeting the five women then. Now, relax and enjoy your day. I'll see you tomorrow" she said as I said a quick goodbye and watched her leave.

I decided to leave too since Elizabeth had paid for the drinks beforehand and I decided to go back to my apartment. When I got there, I took off everything except for my white tank-top and my black lacy underwear and decided a nap was in order. I threw my hair up in a messy bun and threw myself into the comfort of my bed, ready to escape reality for a few hours.

Once I had fallen asleep, I started to dream. I loved this dream because in it, the woman I had chose to marry Edward was _me_ and only _me_…

* * *

CrimsonScarz - _So, Elizabeth didn't end up setting her up with Jacob, but that was a pretty good guess. It had me thinking and I almost played it out to see where it went, but I decided to do something else with Jacob **if** I decided to use him. You'll just have to wait and see, ;)._


	8. News

_I'm in a particularly good mood today, so I thought "Hey! Why not update my story!". So I did. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!_

* * *

**News**

The whole time Bella was out to lunch with my mother, I was with Emmett, wondering what they were talking about. I was sure it was just business, but something in my gut told me otherwise. I was itching to just randomly show up wherever they were and pretend like it was a coincidence that I happened to be there and overhear everything they might say. Thankfully, I had enough sense not to do that. I would have to wait it out. It was hard though because I just knew that something wasn't right.

"…and so this guy came up and started hitting on Rose. Man, I tell yah, I almost knocked him out. But then this" I was aware of Emmett speaking, but I couldn't really concentrate on his story. "…big purple elephant came and swallowed the guy whole so that I wouldn't have to deal with him…" I continued to stare off into space as Emmett stared at me with a waiting expression. "You could at least pretend to pay attention, Edward" he said with annoyance, snapping me back to reality.

"I…was?" it came out like a question and it was pointless to even say. He already knew I wasn't paying attention; there was really no point in trying to defend myself.

"If you were paying attention, you would have said something when I started rambling about purple elephants solving my problems" he said, gladly winning the argument. "What's bugging you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Is it stupid for me to worry and obsess over something that could literally turn out to be nothing?"

Emmett sighed. "It depends. What are you worried about?"

"Bella and my mother. She called Bella to meet for lunch, but she wouldn't say what it was about. Plus, she didn't call me to tell me she was going to lunch with Bella which she always does. She always tells me when she's leaving the house because she knows that I sometimes worry about her" I tried to explain, though it must have sounded stupid.

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "Your worried over some "super-secret" lunch meeting with your mom and Bella?"

I laughed. "When you put it like that, I know it sounds stupid. I just have a really bad feeling"

"Huh" Emmett said as more of a statement. "Well, what us normal people would do is call Bella. Ask her about it. If it's nothing, then she'll tell you. If it's something, then she should trust you enough to tell you" he advised me.

I nodded. "I think I'll do that" I said, glancing at my wrist watch. "You think she's home by now?" I asked, showing Emmett the time.

He shrugged. "Probably, it's been two hours since you left her place and you left after her, didn't you?"

I nodded. "Alright, well, I'll see you later"

Emmett and I did some hard-to-follow handshake we'd done ever since we met and then I was in the Volvo, driving towards Bella's apartment. I flipped open my cell phone and decided to call and make sure she was there. After three things, Bella's voice filled my ear.

"Hello?" she asked in a groggy voice. Had she been sleeping?

"Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I teased as I always did when I caught her sleeping during the day.

"Ha-ha" she laughed sarcastically. But then she got serious. "Listen, I have to tell you something and your probably not going to like it. I was going to wait until I saw you again so I could tell you in person, but I need to just tell you and get it over with" she sounded unhappy. I didn't like it already.

"Well, I'm about five minutes from your apartment if you still want to tell me in person" I offered.

I heard her sigh. "Yeah, okay. Just hurry. You need to hear this"

I briefly wondered if this was about her lunch meeting with my mother and that my mother had found out about Bella and I. But I knew that couldn't be it. Mother would have called me by now to express either her happiness I'd found love or her anger that I didn't tell her.

"Alright. I'll see you in a bit. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be fine" I soothed her. "I love you" I told her.

"I love you too" I heard her voice crack and wondered if she was crying before the line went dead, indicating that she had hung up.

Something was definitely wrong. I drove faster, turning those five minutes into two. I had a key to her apartment, so I just parked the Volvo in a guest parking space and raced upstairs to the third floor and let myself into her apartment.

I found Bella pacing not far from the door, biting her nails and staring at the floor. She looked up when I entered and then ran towards me, throwing her arms around my torso and burying her face in my chest. I placed my hands on her back and held her close. I started moving my left hand to rub her back and hopefully calm her down.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't think she would do this" she mumbled onto my shirt.

I kissed the top of her head. "Do what, love?"

She pulled away and then slid her hands down my forearms until she was holding my hands. Her sad eyes met my confused ones and I had a feeling I didn't want to know whatever she was prepared to tell me.

"You know I had lunch with your mother and at that lunch she asked me to do a favor for her" Bella started.

"What kind of favor?" I asked. Oh god, what had mother asked her to do?

Bella took a deep breath before squeezing her eyes shut and responding. "Shewantsmetohelpherpickawifeforyou" she said fast enough that I didn't catch a word of it.

"Bella, in English please" I teased her, in attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

Bella sighed, and then began again, slower this time. "She wants me to help her pick a wife for you"

"Huh" was my brilliant response.

Bella let go of my hands and used hers to cover her face.

"I know, I'm horrible. I should have told her about us. I should have called you and have you join us so we could tell her that it wasn't necessary for her to choose someone for you, but she said I was like a daughter to her and I just felt so guilty and I couldn't say no. I'm really, _really_ sorry" she rambled like she always did when she was nervous or scared.

I pulled her into my arms, not really knowing what to think of this whole situation. "It's not your fault Bella. Don't ever think that" I told her as I felt her arms slide around me. She moved her head to the side and rested her cheek on my chest.

"But what are we going to do? Do we tell her about us? Do we not?" she asked and for once I didn't have a good solid answer.

On the one hand, we tell my mother about us and she either freaks out or loves it. On the other hand, we could play it out and prove to my mother why this was something I had to decide on my own.

Right now, I liked option two. But I didn't know how Bella would feel about it.

"This is what I think we should do" I started. "I think we should play it out-" I started, but stopped when she suddenly pulled away from me and then stood to face me.

"What?" she asked, confused. "Are you crazy or are you seriously saying that you _want_ me to pick out a _wife_ for you?" her tone quickly changed from surprised to angry.

She had taken it the wrong way.

"No, well, yes, but not in the way that you think" I managed to squeeze in before she got mad again. She folded her arms across her chest and set her jaw, waiting for me to continue. She was so cute when she was angry. "Just hear me out. We could tell my mother about us and hope to god she won't hate us which will be a long shot. Or we play this out. You choose some random girl and I'll let my mother think I'm giving it a go. Then we can use this to show my mother all of the reason why this decision was mine to make and mine alone. We'll show her how unhappy I can guarantee this girl will make me and then when we do tell her about us, maybe she'll have an easier time accepting it because she'll see how happy I am with you compared to how miserable I am without you" I explained.

It sounded reasonable to me. Not only would there be that huge chance my mother would hate us if we tell her the truth, but she'd also be extremely upset that we didn't let her follow through with her plans. I needed to show her that I was adult enough to make huge decisions about my future. I couldn't do that if she made them for me. And the only way to show her is to let her make the decision and then prove her wrong.

"So, you want me to choose some girl so you can show Elizabeth how much better off you'd be with me?" Bella asked, letting her arms fall and seeming to calm down.

I nodded, hoping this was heading the right way. "What do you think?" I asked.

She sighed. "I'm not happy with it. But if you think it will work, then I guess we can try. I just don't want to lose you" she admitted.

I took a step toward her and took her beautiful face in my hands. "Your not going to lose me. I love you and that's _all_ that matters" I assured her as I stared into her big brown eyes.

She reached up and closed the distance between our faces. The kiss was short and sweet, and then followed up by a few tiny pecks.

"I love you too and I trust you, but I hope you know" she started, making me curious as to what she was going to say. "I'm picking the most repulsive girl there" she teased with a small smile.

I laughed, happy to see her smile and then I kissed her, hoping to god this plan would work. Of course, the only way to be sure this will work is if we had some help from a little devious pixie I happened to know…

* * *

_Well, of course Bella wouldn't keep something like that a secret from Edward. Plus, if she did, it would screw up any plans I have for this story, so she made a good choice. lol. Thanks again for the reviews! Next chapter, we meet the potentials..._


	9. Potentials

_I'm really sorry for the ridiculously long wait, but my mom was in the hospital so she was my number one priority. School was my second. I was writing the chapter, but unfortunately it was in my notebook and I just didn't have the time to type it up and post it. But thankfully, my mom is home now and she's doing fine, so I managed to type up the chapter. I know a lot of you probably guessed who all of the potentials will be and your all probably right, but its all about who gets chosen and for what reason, so that should still be fun to find out. Anyways, sorry again, thank you for all of the reviews and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Enjoy!_

* * *

**Potentials.**

I couldn't even describe the nerves I felt as I was sitting at that same café a day later. I never thought I would be in a situation like this. I still couldn't even believe I was in a situation like this. But Edward had a plan that he was sure would work, so I trusted him. I would do anything for him. No matter how hard it may be.

But I wasn't lying when I said I would pick the most repulsive girl out of the bunch.

"Now Bella, don't be afraid to ask them any questions you have. Your more Edward's age, so you'd have a better insight on what he might like" Elizabeth said as we waited for the five girls to arrive.

I just nodded my agreement. I had more insight then she could probably fathom.

Elizabeth and I were sitting next to each other at one of the round tables. She had that silly binder lying on the table in front of her. Her plan was to have them all come at once and "slyly" ask them questions to determine which one was better. Now all we had to do was wait.

I got very impatient as we waited. I started drumming my fingers on the table and bouncing my knee until finally, _two_ of them showed up.

They were both brunette's and sat next to each other beside Elizabeth. They shook hands with her and introduced themselves as Jessica and Lauren. Jessica was the one sitting next to Elizabeth and I immediately pegged her as a possible suck-up.

Not even five minutes later, two other girls showed up. They introduced themselves as Kate and Irina. Irina had raven-black hair while Kate's was a very light orange, almost blonde. Kate sat next to Lauren and then Irina next to Kate.

The last girl to arrive introduced herself as Tanya. She had strawberry blonde hair pulled back by a head band.

Each girl was wearing some type of dress or skirt and t-shirt/tank-top ensemble. They all had hordes of jewelry on, perfectly manicured nails and you could tell they each spent at least an hour on their hair.

Perfect. Edward happened to dislike when a girl spent too much time on her appearance. He was more of a aux naturelle fan and with all the make-up they were wearing, they were definitely on the opposing team.

I, on the other hand, just wore a simple pair of jeans, my black beater with a spaghetti-strapped red tank-top overtop and my black flats. As for hair and make-up, a messy bun and black eye-liner and mascara. That's the only make-up I ever wore. It was an agreement I had with Alice. I wear those two things and she wouldn't hound me to wear blush and eye-shadow and lip gloss, etc.

"So is _she_ here for the same reason we are?" Lauren asked, nodding her head at me. I briefly wondered if looks actually _could_ kill.

I almost laughed. I didn't need to compete, I already had him. And I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Elizabeth glanced at me and smiled, placing her hand on my shoulder. "No. Bella is my personal assistant. She's like a daughter to me and I wouldn't make any changes to Edward's life without her opinion first" Elizabeth explained, leaving me feeling guilty once again because I was betraying her trust so badly and she had no idea.

Lauren and Jessica exchanged a glance and then snickered. They looked at me as though I were irrelevant. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

"Wait, didn't I see you and Edward at Starbucks last week?" The one named Irina said, causing me to freeze.

I guess she had. Edward and I were at Starbucks last week for obvious reasons, but Elizabeth didn't know that I spent time with him outside of her house. She knew we had mutual friends, but she didn't know that we all hung out together.

Elizabeth removed her hand and gave me a questioning look. "You were with Edward last week?" she asked.

Crap. I would have to make something up. Hell, I was a great liar. I'd done it enough. Was I proud of it? No.

"Yeah, on my day off, Rosalie and Alice called me to meet them at Starbucks. They said they had called Edward too and he was going to give me a ride and then we were going to go meet Jasper and Emmett to hang out for a while. Your not mad, are you?" I asked, just to make sure.

I was sure she would believe me, but I didn't know how she'd feel about Edward giving me a "ride" to random places.

"No, I'm not mad. A little surprised. I wonder why he never said anything, I mean, he loves having you around. I guess to him your like a second Alice just a little more toned down" Elizabeth teased.

Well, I knew one thing for sure: Edward certainly didn't think of me as a second Alice unless he had secret desires to be with her which is highly doubtful.

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to. If your going to lie, you can't keep adding to it. It becomes confusing and then takes forever to let the conversation fall.

"Well, you all know why you're here, so why don't you all tell us a bit about yourselves" Elizabeth said, then turned to Jessica. "We'll start with you, dear"

Jessica smiled sweetly. I wanted to gag.

"Well, my name is Jessica. I'm seventeen and very outgoing" she said, keeping it short as not to bore Elizabeth.

Next was Lauren.

"I'm Lauren. I'm eighteen and my passion is shopping. Like Jessica, I'm very outgoing and I get along very easily with other people. And might I add, Mrs. Masen, I think Edward sounds like an amazing man and it would be an honor to stand by him as his wife" she said, causing me to cough so I could hide my laugh.

Apparently I was wrong. Jessica wasn't the suck-up, Lauren was. I hoped Elizabeth would see right through that.

"Well Lauren, you'd get along fine with Alice. She's a very close friend of Edward's and she simply adores shopping as well. She's currently entering the fashion world as a designer. We're all very proud of her" Elizabeth smiled.

Lauren beamed; glad she had something in common with someone who was close to both Edward and Elizabeth.

"I wouldn't say Alice adores shopping as much as she adores Jasper, though. I have a feeling she'd give it all up for him" I said, proving to Lauren that her like of shopping wasn't going to get Edward's ring on her finger.

"Yes and we have you to thank for that, Bella. Had you never come into our lives, Alice wouldn't have met Jasper. She owes you a lot" Elizabeth commented.

"Well, she's got to suck it up and tell him how she feels first and then she'll owe me" I joked.

Elizabeth laughed. "True" she said. "Anyway, continue" she waved her hand at Kate.

Kate smiled. "My name is Kate. I'm seventeen and very nervous. I'm not a fan of attention, so it still scare's me when I get it" she said, her voice shaking slightly.

I liked Kate. She was honest and appeared to be wearing the least amount of make-up and jewelry. She seemed to be just naturally pretty, even with the strange color of her hair. It sort of sucked how nice she seemed. Why? Because I couldn't choose her. If I chose her, I wouldn't have the heart to follow through on Edward's master plan. Though I probably will still feel bad about it, I had to pick someone who really couldn't make Edward happy.

"I'm Irina. I'm eighteen. I love to travel and I'm a photographer" Irina said, keeping a very sweet smile on her face.

I guess Irina wasn't so bad either. But that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It meant that I'd have to cross her off of the list as well. I really hoped that Tanya would be the perfect choice. Kate and Irina were too nice to choose and I can't even imagine being in the same room as Jessica or Lauren ever again. Well maybe Jessica, but certainly not Lauren.

Finally, we were at the last girl.

"I'm Tanya. I'm nineteen. All I can really say about myself is that I know what I want in life and I'm very confident that I'll get it" she said, her tone implying that she felt she would be chosen for sure.

Thank god. All I can say is that she was perfect. First of all, she had strawberry blonde hair. Not at all Edward's type. Second, she was cocky. Edward found arrogance and cockiness to be major turn-offs. Third, she cared too much about her appearance. I'd noticed this while the other girls were talking; Tanya constantly checked her hair and make-up in her compact mirror.

Elizabeth smiled at all of the girls. "Alright then, I'm going to excuse myself for a short amount of time. While I'm gone, please, chat and get to know each other" she said.

She placed her hand on my shoulder and turned me on an angle so we were both facing away from the girls.

"Bella, I'm leaving the table for a few moments and I want you to ask as much questions as you can, preferably questions that I wouldn't feel comfortable asking or hearing the answers to, okay?" she asked in a very low voice so the girls wouldn't hear.

I nodded. She mouthed a thank-you, smiled at the girls once more and then left the table. I would definitely use this time to my advantage. I knew exactly what kind of questions Elizabeth wanted me to ask and I was going to do a damn good job asking them.

I grinned, wondering how the girls would react to my upcoming questions.

"So, out of the five of you, who do you think could please Edward the most in bed?" I asked, my voice not cracking or breaking for even a second.

I don't know if it was the previous twenty questions remix we played the other night that was keeping me from being nervous, or that I found their shocked expressions hilarious.

Jessica furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Seriously? Did I speak a different language? I thought the question was pretty straight-forward and to the point.

"Sex, Jessica. Out of the five of you, which one of you is the best at it?" I asked, trying not to laugh or smile at the ridiculous looks on their faces. It was definitely a challenge.

"Why would _you_ want to know that?" Tanya asked, her voice suddenly having a very bored tone to it.

I laughed. "_I_ don't, but I know Edward. He'll never forgive me if I marry him off to someone who won't be able to pleasure him. I figured I would ask this question to save Elizabeth the embarrassment. She likes to pretend that Edwards still a virgin, so we won't ruin that for her" I explained.

Lauren snickered. "Well I've never had any complaints" she bragged.

The imagery that followed that statement almost made me gag. I couldn't imagine a guy who would willingly have sex with her.

"That's probably because usually the guys are so wasted, they don't even remember it" Jessica snapped, causing Lauren to glare at her.

The rest of the girls, including myself, laughed at the small feud breaking out between Jessica and Lauren. They started insulting each other, poking each other on the shoulder and calling each other names.

Even though in my mind, I'd already chosen the girl we would use for Edwards plan, this whole thing was still funny to watch. Both girls were very fluent in cursing and badmouthing. A small part of me wished Elizabeth would make it back in time to see them argue.

I only had one task left now: convince Elizabeth that the perfect woman for Edward is Tanya.


	10. Scheming

_Once again, I apologize for taking so long to post. I really am trying to get this done faster. Thankfully, I have the week off of school so hopefully that means I can get a lot more writing and posting done. Fingers crossed._

kiaras-magical-melody _- Tanya was chosen because she needs to be able to meet Elizabeth's standards, but at the same time must be repulsive to Edward. Would you really want your son marrying someone like Jessica or Lauren? I wouldn't. Plus, who would really wants to put up with them for god knows how long?_

JennCullen87 _- In this story, Bella does have self-esteem issues, but not nearly as bad as she does in the books. It's very minor, like she does think that probably any girl in the world is prettier than her, but its okay because she knows that Edward thinks she's beautiful, so thats all that really matters. I hope that made sense._

sweetswirlypop_ - I guess you'll just have to keep reading to see if your gut is right or wrong..._

_Anyways, thank you for all of your concerns for my mother. You'll be happy to know that she's doing fine and has recently returned back to work. Thanks especially for all the reviews and enjoy this next chapter._

* * *

**Scheming.**

"I can't believe Elizabeth is actually going through with this. Hell, I can't believe _you guys_ are going through with this" Alice said, taking everything in that we had just told her.

It was the night after Bella had met all of the girls my mother chose. This was the first time I'd seen her since. We had called Alice to meet us at the café we were currently in. We told her about my mother's plans for me, but now we had to ask her for her help with our plan to prove my mother wrong.

I sighed. "I know, Alice. But I don't see any other option"

She glared at me. "Well I do. Tell her the truth. I bet she'd be happy for you" she suggested.

Bella shook her head. "No, she would be so angry. Think about it. We lied to her; we snuck around behind her back. Edward is all that she has and she trusted me to be around him. I betrayed that trust" she said, lowering her head slightly.

I placed my hand on her back and slowly started to rub it, hoping to soothe her. I knew how guilty she felt. I hated that being with me made her feel that.

"No, you fell in love. I think she'd understand" Alice continued to tell us.

Bella sighed. "She told me that she looks at me as her daughter. Do you have any idea how hurt she'd be if she found out I lied to her? And not just about something small, but about sneaking around with the only person she really cares about?" she asked.

Alice sank back in her chair, defeated. "Maybe your right" she paused. "So what are you guys going to do?"

I smiled a bit at that. "Actually, I have a plan. But…" I trailed off, knowing she would finish my sentence on her own.

"You need my help" she started. She grew a mischievous smile. "I have a feeling that this is going to be good. What's your plan so far?" she asked eagerly, sitting up straighter.

Bella's mood lifted a little as she began listening to the plan, flawed as it was.

"Well, first off, Bella and I decided to go through with this because we're going to prove how she should have let me choose my own wife. We're going to show her how unhappy I'll most likely be with her choice versus how happy I am with Bella. But I wanted to have a little fun with it. Maybe freak the girl out a little by showing how she doesn't get along with certain people as well as Bella does…" I let my sentence trail off again, hoping she'd pick up on my implications.

Alice's face lit up. "I'm thinking we invite her to my house for a night with you, me, Bella, Emmett, Rose and Jasper. If she survives that, then _I'll_ marry her" she laughed.

And this is exactly why I chose Alice to help me.

Bella laughed, the sound as beautiful as ever. "Yeah, but Edward, you can't be a gentlemen at all on that particular night" she told me.

I was instantly worried. What would they possibly need me to be out of character for? I raised an eyebrow, but smiled anyway and dared to ask why.

"Because. If we're going to successfully freak her out, we need to make her think that your completely different then how you usually act" Bella explained.

"Different how?" I asked wryly.

"Different like when we bring up the topic of sex, which we _will_, you have to contribute as much as possible. And maybe you should hang around Bella a lot and let her think there's something going on" Alice suggested, waving her hand like there was nothing wrong with her last statement.

Bella and I both glanced at each other and then at Alice.

"The first one, I can do, but you'll need to explain the second one to me" I told her.

I didn't see how letting her think I had something going on with Bella was going to help us. If anything, that would probably make it worse. I mean, after all, wasn't that what we were trying to avoid? Wasn't the whole point of this so that my mother could ease into my relationship with Bella rather than having it shoved in her face?

"Because she'll get jealous. Probably a little too jealous. Maybe to a point where she won't let you be alone. Maybe even to a point where you'll start getting annoyed at her over-protectiveness. Everybody knows that outrageous jealousy is an unattractive quality. What mother would want their son to marry some crazy possessive girl?" Alice explained, shrugging with a seemingly innocent look on her face.

She had a point. And it meant being able to be close to Bella during this whole thing, so that was a plus. I was still a little skeptical about it though.

"That could work, actually. I remember Elizabeth saying how she wanted someone that could trust Edward and who Edward could trust as well" Bella started. "Wouldn't it be a shame if the girl chosen isn't that trusting at all" she said sarcastically.

Alice and I both laughed at that. "Okay, so what else did you have in mind?" Alice asked.

I shrugged. "That's where you come in. I couldn't think of anything more terrifying then her meeting you guys. Her meeting Emmett alone would be enough to send her running" I admitted.

Bella and Alice laughed. "Then maybe we should let her spend a day with Emmett. We can brief him on everything a girl would hate to do and then have him do them all" Alice suggested.

The mental images that followed almost made the suggestion a possibility.

"I can picture it now. Emmett taking her for a hike in the dirty forest with her two-thousand-dollar heels. She'll be mortified" Bella laughed, seemingly liking the idea a bit more then she should.

God, I love her.

"Maybe she'll call off the wedding before I do" I said, to which Alice and Bella laughed again. "And if we're doing that, we should get you two and Rose to take her shopping. It's a whole different experience with you three" I teased, remembering the countless times I'd been stuck shopping with the three of them.

They were never subtle about anything and managed to attract the most attention when I least wanted it. Though it was quite entertaining to watch all three of them use their looks on helpless cashier-boys so they didn't have to pay for certain items. Usually it was hard to watch other men ogle Bella, but in those circumstances, it was quite funny and I managed to let it slide.

They shrugged, both smiling evilly.

"I feel kind of bad for her actually" Bella started. "I mean, she is trying to marry you, so it would make sense for me to have a vendetta against her, but maybe we're taking it too far" she said, now sounding a little unsure.

Alice sighed. "Your far too nice Bella. But the bottom line is, unless you want Elizabeth to think that this girl would be better for Edward then you would, it has to be done" Alice assured her.

I put my arm around Bella's shoulders and gently pulled her closer to me until her head found its way onto my shoulder.

"Besides, I _really_ don't want to marry this girl. So maybe if she calls off the wedding first, my mother might not be as mad when we tell her about us" I said as Bella nodded.

I gave her a smile and kissed her temple, moving my hand to rub up and down her arm.

"When will that be exactly?" Alice asked, resting her elbow on the table and placing her chin in the palm of her hand.

I thought about it for a second and then answered the best way I could think of.

"When the time is right, we'll tell her together" I answered, glancing at Bella who nodded her agreement.

Alice nodded.

"Alright, so what else shall we do to this poor girl?" Bella asked, causing Alice's mischievous smile to return.

She sat up straight and placed both of her hands on the table, a grin forming. "Well, I have a few ideas…"


	11. Favor

_Hey, so there have been a few reviews requesting that the chapters be a little bit longer, so I trying my best to start making them longer. Hopefully it won't disappoint. Unfortunately, Tanya's torture comes into play a little later on in the story, so you guys are going to have to wait a little bit. I'm trying to rush through some chapters because I know I'm gonna have a lot of fun plotting and writing Alice's plans for Tanya, lol. Also, keep in mind that this story is rated M, so if you don't like reading any mature content, then you can skip this chapter, but you will miss out on something that's a little important later on in the story. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you guys like the story and enjoy this next chapter.  
_

* * *

**  
Favor.**

"I understand where your coming from Edward, I do. I just think that this trip would be good for you" Elizabeth spoke to a very stressed looking Edward whose response was a roll of the eyes.

I was in Elizabeth's room, waiting for her to tell me what she needed done next when she had called Edward into the room. Apparently, she'd been putting together a weekend get-away for Edward, much to his and my dismay. My guess was that she was trying to do something nice for him before she told him what she was really planning for his future. Unbeknownst to her, I'd beaten her to the punch days ago.

Edwards's eyes flashed at me as I was leaning against the wall next to the door. "I don't think now is the best time for me to go somewhere" he told his mother.

Elizabeth was sitting at her vanity, adjusting her hair and make-up while Edward stood a little ways behind her. "And why not?" she asked, looking at him through the mirror.

He sighed. "I've already got plans for the weekend" he told her.

He wasn't lying. He did have plans. With me. Elizabeth doesn't make me work on weekends unless she really needs me. Edward usually fakes that he's going to Emmett's or Jasper's for the weekend and then he comes to my apartment.

"Oh? Doing what? Playing silly video games with Emmett and Jasper?" she asked, clearly not hiding the fact that she thought he was being childish.

Edward ran his hand through his hair and snuck another quick and unnoticed-by-Elizabeth glance at me. "No. I'm doing…other stuff" he said, unable to come up with a good believable lie.

Edward was a perfect liar, but not to his mother. He could do it, he just didn't like it. He worried too much that she would know he was lying and then hate him for it. That was a huge part of the reason he was so hesitant to tell Elizabeth about our relationship. He didn't want her to hate us.

"Like what?" Elizabeth asked, stopping what she was doing and turning half way around in her seat to look at him.

Edward shifted uncomfortably. "Like stuff that you wouldn't want to know I'm doing" he said, surprising her.

I almost laughed at that one. If there was one topic Elizabeth avoided like the plague, it was sex. I think she knows that Edward's not a virgin anymore, but she likes to pretend otherwise.

Elizabeth's face turned a light shade of red and she turned back around in her chair, resuming what she was doing.

"I wish you wouldn't say things like that. Especially when Bella's around. She doesn't need to hear that" Elizabeth said, rubbing some foundation on her face.

Edward looked at me with his crooked smile. "I'm sure she's heard worse, haven't you Bella?" he asked.

He had a playful look in his eyes and I knew that if he could, he would state the fact that I was the cause of him no longer being a virgin.

I blushed, even though Elizabeth would never pick up on what Edward _could_ have said. "Much worse" I responded.

Elizabeth sighed. "Still. It's not very gentlemanly of you to say such things"

Edward continued to stare at me. His lips started to move, but no sound came out. I quickly became aware of what he was doing and began reading his lips. "_The things I would do to you aren't very gentlemanly either"_ he mouthed, finishing it with my favorite mischievous grin.

I bit my lip to hide my smile.

"My apologies, Bella" he said out loud for the sake of his mother.

She would never have dropped the topic if he hadn't of apologized for his "rude" behavior.

"That's better" Elizabeth said, moving on to eye-shadow.

I didn't really know why she wore make-up. Even at her age, she was a beautiful woman. And the make-up had nothing to do with it. If anything, it took away from her beauty.

"Now, about the trip. I really think you should take it. You could take someone with you if you like, if that would make you take it" Elizabeth pressed.

Edward walked over to his mother and bent down slightly to put his arms around her shoulders from behind her. "Mom, I know your just trying to help me relax a bit, but I'm fine. Really. I'll take the trip someday. Just, now isn't a good time" he said.

She placed her hands on his arms to hold him there and smiled half-heartedly at his reflection in the mirror. "I guess your right. Who knows, maybe we can turn it into a mother-son trip, hmm?"

Edward smiled and nodded his head. The phone started ringing then and since Elizabeth had one sitting on her vanity, she reached over to answer it.

"Hello?" she asked. Her smiled widened. "Alright. Just one minute" She clicked the hold button on the phone and hung up. "I'm going to take this in the other room. Bella, if you could, I need something to wear for interviewing could-be new employees, would you please pick out something nice?" she asked to which I nodded.

Edward smiled and reached his head around to kiss his mother's cheek. "I love you mom. And I'd love to go on a mother-son trip with you" he told her as her face lit up.

She squeezed his arms with her hands. "I love you too, son" she said before she let go of his arms and he released her. She then stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Edward then turned to me and leaned against his mothers chair and crossed his arms, his eyes returning to their playful selves. I pushed myself off of the wall and approached him.

"You know" I started when I'd reached him. I slid my arms around his waist inside of his open army green jacket and under his black t-shirt. "You should've taken that trip. We could have gone away together without her wondering where you were" I said in a hopefully seductive voice.

He smiled that crooked smile and placed his hands on both sides of my face. "I'll be vacationing with you weather we're at some remote resort or just at your apartment" he said as one of his hands started to move, tracing a line from my face, down my neck and to my collarbone. "Hell, I'd start the vacation right now if my mother wasn't in the other room. I've been craving to hear you moan my name all day" he said, his voice already becoming a bit husky.

I moved my head toward him and started to place gentle kisses on his neck as his muscles tightened. "You'll have to show me some of those ungentlemanly things you mentioned earlier. You've got me quite curious" I said in between kisses.

I felt him shiver slightly and was pleased that I had this affect on him just by kissing his neck. I stopped kissing him and looked up at him. He had his eyes closed and looked like he was trying hard to focus on something.

"Bella, your making it very hard for me to resist tearing your clothes off and taking you in my mother's bedroom" he whispered, his voice holding some seriousness.

I gave a small laugh. "You started this" I reminded him as his eyes opened and he grinned down at me.

"Not the point" he stated.

I decided to tease him a bit more. "Anyway, I have an outfit to pick out" I said as I took my hands away from him and made my way to the closet.

I opened Elizabeth's closet and surveyed what she had. She had everything from dresses to pant-suits, plus a wall of shoes and other accessories. As I was mentally putting together outfits, I felt two very familiar arms wrap around my waist from behind me followed by a set of warm lips on my neck.

He pulled me closer to his body and moved his lips agonizingly slow from my neck to my shoulder, letting the strap to my tank-top hang loosely off of my arm. I leaned my head back to rest on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his touch. Slowly, his hands made their way under my shirt and moved up my stomach to my chest where he began messaging my breasts.

"Edward, you need to behave. Elizabeth could walk in at any moment" I warned him, but my voice was barely audible. I didn't want him to stop anymore then he did.

"Must I?" He asked, pulling his hands out of my shirt and running them along my arms, making me shiver.

"Maybe if we're quick" I barely got the words out and he already had turned me around and was crushing my mouth with his.

He steered us toward a wall and backed me up against it. His hands seemed to be everywhere all at once and it felt amazing. I threw my arms around his neck and jumped, putting my legs around his waist and feeling his hands grab my hips to hold me there. He pushed me up against the wall a little harder so I wouldn't fall and then his hands moved down my legs to the bottom of my jean mini-skirt. He slid his hands up my skirt and just as his fingers reached the top of my underwear, getting ready to pull them down; my cell phone went off in my pocket.

Edward groaned, pulling his lips away from mine. "Don't answer it" he told me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, looking at the caller ID. "It's Emmett" I said, flipping it open.

Emmett didn't like talking on the phone so I knew this would be short. Plus it was payback for mouthing sex related things to me and making me blush while his mother was present.

"Hey Em" I said with my breathless voice.

"Hey Bells, I need you to do me a favor" he said with a hopeful voice.

Like I said, straight to the point.

"Sure, what do you need?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment. "Meet me at the mall in twenty minutes and I'll explain everything, okay?" he asked.

I glanced at Edward who was waiting patiently for me to get off the phone. I knew if I told Emmett no, Edward and I would continue what we were doing and most likely get caught. So instead I agreed, deciding I would make it up to Edward later tonight. Emmett thanked me and then we hung up.

I sighed. "I have to go" I told him.

His face fell. "I don't want you to"

I smiled and took his face in my hands. I pulled his lips to mine once, then twice and then a third time. "Come over tonight. We'll pick up right from where we left off. I'll even let you have me against the wall if that's how you want it" I promised him.

He chuckled. "Okay, I'll see you then" he said as he backed away and put me on my feet.

I kissed him once more. "I love you, Edward Anthony Masen"

He smiled. "I love you too, Isabella Marie Swan"

I turned and assembled a quick outfit for Elizabeth and laid it on her bed. I told Edward a quick goodbye and he said he would tell Elizabeth where I'd gone. Then I left and made my way to go meet Emmett for god only knows what.

I ended up taking a cab to get to the mall and sure enough, when I got there, Emmett was waiting. I hoped he hadn't been waiting long. The cab-driver had decided to take the scenic root in order to get more money out of me. Sneaky little things. It was for reasons like that I wished I had my own car.

"Sorry I took so long, but you know how most cab drivers are" I apologized to him once I'd gotten close enough for him to hear me.

He smiled and pulled me into a one-armed hug. "I'm sure that wasn't the only thing keeping you" he teased, leaving his arm around my shoulders as we entered the mall.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. How could he possibly know what I was doing when he called?

He laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. "Please Bella, your lips are swollen, the strap to your tank-top is hanging off your shoulder, your hair's messed up and you were pretty out of breath when I called" he explained as I blushed and adjusted the strap to my tank-top. "Honestly, Elizabeth must be literally _the_ most unobservant person in the world to still be clueless about you and Edward" he added.

I laughed. "We usually don't do anything when we're in the same house with her. Usually I try to treat him like a pariah and he does the same to me" I told him.

Emmett shook his head. "You guys just need to tell her and get it over with"

I shrugged. "We will eventually. Until then, we have something else planned entirely" I said, my eyes lighting up as I recalled the many horrors Alice planned to unleash on Tanya as soon as I got Elizabeth to agree to choosing her.

"Like what?" Emmett asked curiously as we continued walking aimlessly around the mall.

"It's a long story, but Alice is going to tell you, Rose and Jasper all about it soon enough" I promised him.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course" but he smiled to show he was kidding.

Like Emmett could ever really be mad at me. He was like an older brother to me. We hardly ever fought. I playfully hit his chest with the back of my hand and he just laughed. Then he stopped walking and I looked at where we were.

We were in front of a _jewelry shop_.

Emmett looked from the store to my face to catch my reaction. Then he smiled. "Have you figured out why I needed your help yet?" he asked.

I looked from Emmett to the store and then back at Emmett again. "Emmett, are you…?" I asked, too excited and slightly shocked to finish my sentence.

There was only one reason why you would ever find Emmett in a jewelry store. As weird as it sounded, Rosalie didn't like Emmett to buy her jewelry. She once said it made her feel like she was just using him, so for Emmett to be here meant it was for something special.

"I'm gonna ask Rose to marry me. But I don't know which ring she would like" he started. "I asked you because obviously I couldn't ask Rose and Alice wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. Plus she would pick out something way over the top"

I smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the store. We were walking around surveying all of the rings, looking for the one that would be perfect for Rose when I saw it. It was the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. It was just a simple silver band with only one emerald colored diamond sitting in the middle. I loved it because it matched the color of Edward's eyes whenever he smiled.

Emmett stopped just beside me. "Did you find one?" he asked.

I nodded. "But I don't think it'd have the same significance for Rosalie, though" I laughed.

"Why not?" he asked curiously.

"The green matches Edward's eyes when he's happy. I don't think you want Rosalie thinking of Edward's eyes the moment you pop the question" I teased.

He laughed. "Your probably right" he agreed. "It's a very beautiful ring though" he added.

I nodded. "I know if I was being proposed to, this is the ring I would want" I admitted.

Emmett put his arm around my shoulders again and gave me a small squeeze. Then I noticed a ring sitting three away from my dream one. It suited Rosalie perfectly. It had a gold band and had a ruby red diamond in the middle with two smaller diamonds on either side. It was elegant and beautiful which was Rosalie's very description.

"There" I said, pointing to the ring. "That one is perfect" I told him.

He smiled and nodded. "I think your right. Thanks Bells" he said, kissing the top of my head.

"No problem, Em" I said as I smiled up at him.

I became a bit confused when he started to guide me out of the store _without_ the ring we'd picked.

Emmett caught my confused expression. "I don't have the money right now. I figured we could pick it out, see how much it's gonna cost and then I'll come by tomorrow and pick it up" he explained.

I nodded my understanding. "Hey, can we go to the food court? I'm starved" I asked as he laughed and agreed.

I always loved hanging out with Emmett. He was seriously like the brother I never had. Plus I thought it was so cool how he wanted _my_ help choosing something as special as an engagement ring for Rosalie.

I briefly wondered why suddenly everyone wanted me to make all of the important decisions in their lives, but then realized that it didn't matter. With Emmett, I got to know the one thing he hadn't told anybody yet and with Edward, I got to pick a girl I wouldn't even have to worry about. Or at least I hoped.


	12. Rings

_Sorry for the really long wait, but alas, here it is. Thanks for all of the reviews, I'm really glad you guys like the story, :)_

* * *

**Rings.**

I don't know why I was so nervous, but my foot wouldn't stop tapping on the floor and my fingers wouldn't stop drumming on the armrest of the chair I was sitting in. I was waiting for Emmett. Anxiously.

"Dude, you gotta calm down" Jasper said from the chair he was slouched in as he waited with me. "He'll be here and with good news, I bet"

That was easy for him to say. He was always calm. He could control his emotions like nobodies business. It made it really hard to tell when he was lying.

I tried to sit still. "I know, but what if she figured it out?" I asked worriedly. If she'd figured it out, my whole plan would be ruined.

The door to my house opened and Emmett walked into the living room where Jasper and I were. His face held a huge grin, already knowing how nervous I'd be when he got here.

"She didn't. I promise" Emmett assured me, hearing my last remark. Jasper motioned with his hands how he'd been right.

Well that was certainly enough to calm me down. I sighed my relief. She was a smart girl; I honestly didn't think this part of the plan would work. I hoped it would, but obviously, I'd had my doubts.

"Alright, did she pick one?" I asked, my voice giving away my desperation for him to say yes. I needed to know this before I could completely calm down.

Emmett smiled and nodded.

I stood up. "Let's go then" I smiled, feeling a final sense of ease.

Jasper stood up and then the three of us took my Volvo to the mall. We entered and then followed Emmett to the store he'd taken Bella to just before he'd arrived at my house. He led us to a section of rings and pointed to one.

"That's the one she wants" he said with a triumphant smile.

"Your sure?" I asked, just to be positive.

Wouldn't I look like a jackass if I showed up with the wrong one?

He nodded. "Her exact words were "_If I was being proposed to, this is the ring I would want_", plus she said it reminded her of your eyes when you were happy" he assured me.

I nodded, a smile taking over my lips as I stared at the ring. It was so Bella to want something that reminded her of me. Then again, it was so me to want things that reminded me of her. I had actually bought a stuffed teddy-bear once because it was the same color as her hair and smelled exactly like the shampoo she used. It currently sits in my room, next to my favorite books on my book-shelf. My mother had looked at me so strangely when she saw me come home with it in a bag and put it my room. I couldn't tell her the truth for obvious reasons, plus it was embarrassing to admit. Instead, I made up an excuse as to why I had it. Once every week, I visited a children's hospital to play my compositions on the piano for the kids and then I read them a story or two. I always bring each of them a gift, so I told my mother the teddy-bear was a thank-you gift from one of the kids. She thought it was the sweetest thing and didn't ask any more questions.

"So which one are you getting for Rose?" Jasper asked as his eyes scanned the collection of rings.

Emmett pointed to another one. "Bella said it was perfect for Rose" he explained. I had to admit, Bella was dead on about that one. It practically screamed 'Rosalie'.

Jasper nodded to show his understanding. Then Emmett and I found a woman who worked at the place and told her which rings we wanted to buy. We wanted to be quick about it on the off chance someone we knew showed up.

The woman stared at me oddly while she was putting the ring in the velvet box and wrapping it. "Wait a minute, your Edward Masen, right? Your Elizabeth Masen's son. I've heard about you in the newspapers. I didn't know you were getting married" she said as she handed me and Emmett our now-wrapped rings. _So much for no one knowing us…_

I froze. _Damn_.

She wasn't supposed to recognize me. No one was. This was supposed to be a mission of stealth. A get-in-get-out type of thing. It had been going pretty smoothly up until now.

"I'm not" I didn't exactly lie because technically it was true.

I hadn't asked anyone to marry me…_yet_. So technically, I wasn't lying. Just bending the truth a little…

"But your buying an engagement ring…" she said as she gave me a confused expression.

I knew I needed to come up with yet another lie. I couldn't have this girl repeating what she saw here to someone else, who would tell someone else and so on until it got put in the paper that the billionaire's son was getting engaged. My mother would probably read it and have a heart attack. Thus, I had to fix this. My mother's life depended on it.

"I know, but my mother really likes it and I'm getting it for her as a surprise, so I would be forever grateful if you told no one about this. I wouldn't want the surprise to be ruined" I explained, my voice not cracking for a second.

I was eerily good at lying. I wasn't sure why though considering it was the one thing I hated doing the most. The girl believed me though. She commented on how sweet she thought that was and then said how she wouldn't tell anyone. I thanked her and then Emmett and I paid for the rings and left.

"It's so weird that you guys are both proposing to Rose and Bella" Jasper said from the passenger seat of my Volvo as we were driving back to my house.

"Well, technically, I already proposed to Rose" Emmett said from the back seat, surprising me and Jasper both.

Luckily, we were at a stop-light, so Jasper and I both turned our heads back to look at him, demanding to know when and how. I couldn't help thinking of how we'd both just sounded like gossiping girls. It was almost like I was Alice and Jasper was Rosalie demanding an explanation from Emmett/Bella. I mentally laughed at the scene I imagined.

He smiled. "It was on our first date just after I'd met her. She wanted to go to a foot-ball game for our date and when the Jeep broke down on the way home, she popped the hood and fixed it. Apparently she's really into cars. Then I just told her that she _had_ to marry to me. I couldn't let someone that perfect get away. But get this, she actually smiled and said "_Some day_". So now "Some day" is this week because we're both out of school and we've had plans to move in together for months now, so why not?" Emmett explained.

I was momentarily awed. Who knew that Emmett was a secret romantic? But then the light turned green and I had to turn back around. I definitely hadn't seen that one coming. Jasper seemed just as awed as me.

"How are you going to propose this time?" I asked curiously.

I saw Emmett shrug in the rear-view mirror. "I was thinking that I would take her to a foot-ball game and then pull over on the side of the road on the way home, sit her on the hood of the jeep and just ask her"

I had to admit, that idea was practically poetic. Rosalie would be elated and she would have to say yes. Or at least a sentence or insult that summed up to 'yes', in a true Rosalie-fashion.

"How are _you_ going to do it?" Jasper asked as Emmett leaned forward to hear my plans.

I shrugged. "I don't know yet. Bella hasn't told me"

Jasper and Emmett both gave me confused looks. I laughed because I knew they didn't understand.

I tried to explain it to them. "Well first, I needed Bella to show me which ring she wanted the most, so now I need her to tell me how she wants me to ask her" I told them, hoping they'd catch on.

Suddenly, realization took over Jasper's face while Emmett was still trying to figure it out. "Ohh" Jasper started. "I get it. You got her to show Emmett which ring she wanted, so now your going to get someone else to find out how she would want to be proposed to so that it'll be _exactly_ how she imagined it" he finished, proud of himself for figuring it out.

I practically heard the click in Emmett's head when he figured it out too.

I nodded. "I want everything to be perfect because I plan to ask this question to only one person and I don't want to ruin it for her" I explained.

"That's good thinking, though I'm sure she'd be happy no matter how you ask her" Emmett told me.

I knew that, but I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to be everything Bella hoped it would be no matter how cheesy or cliché that sounded. It was no secret that almost every girl on the planet dreamed of a specific way to be proposed to and I was determined to make Bella's a reality.

The worry of whether Bella would say yes or not was starting to take over and I couldn't have that, so I tried to ease into another subject.

"So Jasper" I started as he looked at me. "Do you plan on doing anything for Alice?" I asked.

Emmett laughed from the back seat, knowing where I was going with this. Jasper was such a pansy when it came to Alice. We all knew he'd been in love with her since he first saw her, but he was too scared to say anything. Emmett and I vowed to tease him until he sucked it up and just asked her out.

He gave me a puzzled look. "Like what?"

I laughed. "I don't know, like ask her out?" I said, sarcastically of course.

Jasper turned his head to look out the window. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to avoid the question by looking distracted. He should know by now that that move never worked.

"We'll take that as a no" Emmett teased, slapping a hand on Jasper's shoulder.

Jasper's head jerked back to face us. "I never said that" he snapped.

"Then your going to ask her?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Jasper was quiet for a moment. "I didn't say that either" he finally said.

Just like I predicted. The only thing that could make Jasper nervous or lose control of his emotions was Alice. He was so in love with her it was ridiculous. He'd just convinced himself that if he ever dared to ask her out, she would say no. Though we had told him a million times that she would say yes, he still didn't believe us. If he didn't make a move soon, I was gonna do it for him. Someone had to get their relationship going and preferably before it started _going_ with other people.

"Come on, man! Edward and I will both probably be engaged to incredible women soon and you can't even ask out one girl?" Emmett said, exasperated.

We both waited for Jasper's response. He gave a loud nervous sigh.

"Fine" he started. "I'll ask her this weekend" he finished, not sounding to enthusiastic about it.

Emmett cheered at his victory and I laughed and told Jasper not to worry too much about it. He didn't seem to believe me, but we soon forgot about it when we got to my house. We stayed inside the basement/game-room where Jasper and I played foosball and Emmett watched a foot-ball game on TV.

The day went by pretty quick, thankfully. I had plans with Bella tonight and if my memory served me correctly, there could possibly be a wall involved.

My mother had returned from work just as I was leaving with Emmett and Jasper. I'd told her that Emmett and I were going to Jasper's for the night to play "silly video games" and that I'd see her tomorrow. Then, since Emmett had been taking a cab as his Jeep was currently in Rosalie's possession, I drove him and Jasper home, then made my way to the love of my life.

It took me all of fifteen minutes to drive the usually twenty-minute drive from Jasper's house to Bella's apartment. I couldn't wait to see her. I missed her smile, her laugh, the sound of her voice, everything.

When I got there, I parked the Volvo and used the key to her apartment building she'd had made for me and let myself into the building. When I got to her apartment, the door as unlocked and I guess she'd missed me too because I wasn't even in her house yet and she had backed me up against the wall in the hallway outside of her door and crushed her lips against mine. I welcomed it, putting one of my hands on the back of her head and the other around her waist and pulling her closer to me. I vaguely heard a few wolf whistles from down the hall, but I didn't really care enough to look.

She pulled away when we both needed air and rested her hands on my chest. "I missed you" she said as she looked up at me with her beautiful brown eyes.

I smiled down at her and took my hand away from her hand and stroked her cheek with my thumb. "I missed you too" I admitted.

She smiled and then slid her hand down my arm until she entwined our fingers together. She turned and pulled on my hand, leading me into the apartment. I gladly followed and shut the door behind me.

She turned to face me, a smile on her lips. "Guess what" she started.

"What?" I smiled as I pulled her closer to me.

She slid her arms around my neck and brought her mouth to mine, kissing me slowly and passionately. My head moved with hers as our lips molded together. I placed my hands on her hips and licked her bottom lip with my tongue. Like I wanted, her lips parted and our tongues met, gaining a rhythm of their own.

I gave her hips a squeeze and pulled her as close to me as I could until she pulled away to breathe. "I don't work in the morning" she whispered as I rested my forehead on hers.

I smiled at that, knowing what she was implying. She didn't have to work in the morning meaning she could stay up as late as she wanted and sleep in tomorrow. I captured her lips with mine again and backed her up to a wall.

She broke the kiss and raised one perfect eye-brow at me. "Taking me up on my offer, our we?" she teased, a smile dancing on her lips.

"Did you honestly think I wouldn't?" I asked as I tilted my head to kiss her neck.

She moaned as I kissed her collarbone, placing small kisses down to the top of her breasts. Her hands knotted in my hair as my hands reached down to the hem of her tank-top. In one quick movement, I lifted it over her head and threw it on the floor, leaving her in a light pink lacy bra. She pulled my lips back to hers and then I scooped her up bridal style and made my way to her bedroom.

I gently laid her on the bed, not leaving her lips for a second. I took this opportunity to pull off her skirt, revealing her matching panties. She pulled away to breathe as I started kissing her neck again, running one of my hands along the inside of her thigh. I used my other hand to reach behind her and un-hook her bra. I slid that off of her and then began massaging one of her breasts.

She moaned and arched into my touch, bringing my lips back to hers. We pulled apart for a second so she could lift my shirt over my head, but then got right back to it. Soon, the rest of our clothes disappeared and we were both breathing hard as she ran her hands along my back.

I decided that we had spent enough time messing around, so I gently nudged her legs apart with my knee. When she realized what I was doing, she opened herself to me, wrapping her legs around my waist as I entered her. She gasped as I did so, pushing myself further in the usual. She met every one of my thrusts and I felt her toes curl from the pleasure. She clung to me, digging her nails into my back as we both met our release.

I gently pulled myself away from her and lay down beside her. I laid on my side as I pulled her sweaty form as close to me as I could. She rolled to her side, resting her neck on my arm. I placed my chin on the top of her head and had my other arm resting loosely on her hip. I felt her breathing steady and knew that she was exhausted enough that she had fallen asleep.

I moved my head down and placed a quick kiss on her forehead, then repositioned my head, soon falling asleep myself.

* * *

_Yeah, so you guys were right, Emmett was finding out which ring Bella liked best. My original plan was that Emmett was just lying to find out which ring she wanted, but I got really attached to the idea of Emmett proposing to Rosalie and I had to keep it. Who knows, maybe I'll even do a Rosalie or Emmett's POV on the actual proposal...we'll see._

_I did a google search to try and find rings matching the ones I desicribed to give you guys a mental image, but I couldn't find the exact ones. The links will be on my profile page, so just go there if you want to see them.  
_

_I kind of like the one I found for Rosalie's though, so instead of a gold band, picture that one with the silver band..._

_Thanks again for the reviews.  
_


	13. Chosen

bronzehairedgirl620 - _I posted this chapter earlier then I was going to just for you. Something to hold you over while your out overseas._

Ratty Rowley - _I'm **really** glad you pointed that out because I really thought I had mentioned in one of the first chapters what Edward did for a living, so I went back and read through it and low and behold, I didn't. I'm also really glad you said/typed that before I posted this chapter because in this chapter, I introduced a character through Edward's job and it would have made no sense to anyone. So here's an explanation of Edward's job:  
The company Edward's family owns and Elizabeth currently runs, is an architectural firm. Naturally, Edward works there as an architect for his mother until she thinks he's ready to take over the family business._

_Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and enjoy!_

* * *

_**  
**_**Chosen.**

"Bella, I honestly don't know which one best suits him. They each have a quality in them that I adore. I need your opinion, I'm desperate" Elizabeth said as she stared down at that silly folder containing information and pictures of Edward's potential wives.

Then don't choose any of them…How I wished that would happen. Today was the day that Elizabeth would choose the "perfect" wife for Edward. And as we were sitting in her brightly lit living room, the decision wasn't going well. It actually wasn't really going at all. She couldn't make up her mind and I knew that once again, I would have to do it for her. Thankfully, I'd already prepared myself for this. I knew who I was choosing.

"In all honesty Elizabeth, I can't let you even consider the idea of Jessica or Lauren" I started as Elizabeth's eyes flashed up to meet mine.

She had a surprised look on her face. "Why not?" she asked, her confusion evident in her voice. I really hoped that that didn't mean she was actually contemplating choosing them.

"As soon as you left, they started bickering like jealous school-girls. Edward needs someone mature enough to be serious about him. How could Edward be expected to fall in love with someone as immature as Jessica or Lauren?" I asked, making my point clear and hoping she understood.

It hurt to even consider Edward falling in love with someone else let alone saying it out loud like that. I wondered if I'd ever get used to this grand plan Edward had. I wondered if I'd ever get used to the pain in knowing that this plan could go horribly awry and I could lose him. I don't think I could ever get used to that pain.

Elizabeth nodded. "I suppose. What about Kate? She seemed very nice" Elizabeth said, looking down at the folder I'm sure was opened to Kate's page of information.

I felt bad about what I had planned to say about Kate and Irina. Out of all the girls there, I liked them the most. They seemed like generally nice people. That was exactly why I couldn't choose them. I had to make Elizabeth believe that they were bad choices; I was going to have to lie about them.

"When you asked me to ask the girls questions you wouldn't feel comfortable asking or hearing the answers to, both her and Irina gave the worst answers of the bunch. If you want Edward to stay…healthy, to say the least…then you shouldn't pick them" I answered, staring at the floor while I said this.

I didn't want to say something like that about them because it obviously wasn't true. It was the only thing I could think of that would make her cross them off of her list immediately.

Elizabeth looked taken aback for a moment, but believed me like I knew she would. "Then that leaves us with Tanya…" she said, flipping the pages in her folder.

I took a deep breath before I spoke. I'd had to rehearse this line several times so that I could say it without possibly throwing up. This would be the worst lie I'd ever have to tell.

"Which is why we have to pick her. She's perfect. She's smart, beautiful and I think she could make Edward happy. I think he could fall in love with her" I forced that last part out, feeling the bile rise in my throat.

I tried not to shudder or cringe so that Elizabeth wouldn't know I was lying.

"Are you sure?" she asked as I nodded.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at Tanya's page. She sighed many times and I thought maybe I hadn't said enough to convince her. Then she looked up and smiled.

"I think your right. I think she's wonderful" she said, glancing at the page again. She turned her gaze to me. "Thank you, Bella" she said sincerely.

"Its no problem" I told her, waving my hand for effect.

She smiled. "I know I've probably already asked too much of you, but I hoped you could do two more things for me" she started, making me have to put more force behind a cheery smile.

"I would love to" I said, sounding as eager as one could while the only thing they wanted to do was run to their loved one to reassure themselves that nothing was going to go wrong.

I wanted Edward now, needed him. I needed him to hold me and tell me it would all be over soon. I needed him to remind me that he loved me and that he would never leave me like I would never leave him. I needed him to reassure me that everything I was currently doing was beneficial to our future together.

Elizabeth smiled. "First, I would like you to call Tanya and set up dinner with her tomorrow evening somewhere fancy. Second, Edward will be home soon and I have to leave. I was hoping you could tell him of our plans and fill him in about Tanya and that he'll be having dinner with her tomorrow. I will be at this dinner as well and I hoped you would accompany me. After the dinner, I'd like you to tell me if we made the right choice or not" she told me.

I was a bit taken aback for a second, but I recovered quickly and smiled while I nodded. I assured her she had nothing to worry about and that Tanya was the right choice. Elizabeth wrote Tanya's number on a small slip of paper and handed it me. I folded it and put in my pocket, deciding to call her later. Then she was off, though she didn't mention where it was she was going or what exactly she was doing.

While I waited for Edward, I walked around the familiar mansion. I had only one destination in mind and it would be okay for me to go there. Elizabeth's maid, Trudy, would not be here until tomorrow morning when she would give the house a clean sweep and leave again until the next morning.

I walked to the stairs and went up them all the way to the third floor and went to the door on the left; Edward's room. I opened the door, slipped inside and then closed it behind me, just in case. I flicked the light-switch on and was not surprised to see how organized it was.

Edward's room had a color theme of red, black and white. His walls were painted red while the curtains on his window were black. His king-sized bed was made of black iron and had a black comforter with white sheets and pillow-cases. He had two red decorative pillows on his bed when it was made. He had a black leather couch in one corner with a white closet door placed on one side while his stereo system and CD shelf was on the other. His book shelf was against the same wall as the door and next to it, placed in the corner was a desk where Edward did most of his work.

I walked over to his book shelf to see what new books he'd added. He had a library in the house for all of his books, but he preferred to keep his favorites in his room with him. I hadn't been in his room in a long while, I realized as I saw three new additions and a teddy bear the same color as my hair. Confused, I picked up the bear and held it in my hands, trying to remember if he'd ever mentioned it before. Nothing came to mind.

I shrugged and set the bear back on the shelf, fixing the tiny navy bow-tie it had around its neck. It was a pretty cute teddy-bear. I wondered if maybe one of the kids from the hospital gave it to him, but my thought was interrupted when his bedroom door suddenly opened and Edward's hand instantly reached to turn on the already turned on light. He looked up from the book in his hands to stare confused at the light switched and then did a once-over of the room, stopping when his eyes landed on me.

His lips curled into a smiled and he closed the book. "Bella. You haven't been in here in a while. I've certainly missed the sight" he teased, setting the book on his work-desk.

I smiled, walking over to him. "We might have to re-create the memory later" I said as I slid my arms around his neck and his found their way around my waist.

He smiled and placed a kiss on my lips. "I have some good news" he said, after he'd pulled away.

His eyes were glowing and I couldn't wait to hear what had him so happy.

"Which would be?" I asked, interested as my fingers absentmindedly played with his wind-blown messy bronze hair.

"I got a project" he told me, seeming excited.

He'd been waiting for a straight week for something new to come up that he could do, but he hadn't been assigned to work on anything lately.

"That's great. What do you get to do?" I asked eagerly.

I loved hearing about his projects because he sometimes let me help him do some of the designs. Usually by the end, there's at least one unnecessary room created by yours truly.

"Well, my dads' old friend was a doctor who just moved up here with his wife because he wanted to open up a hospital of his own. I ran into him a half-hour ago and while we were talking he asked me if the family business was still going strong, so I told him that it was and I actually worked there until I could take over. He told me about wanting to open the hospital and asked if I wanted to design it because frankly, I'm the only one he would trust to do it" Edward told me. He had wanted a project like this for a while and now he finally had it.

"That's awesome!" I said, giving him a congratulatory peck on the lips. "Who is your dads' old friend?" I asked, curiously.

"You might know him actually. He used to work at the hospital in Forks. His name is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife is Esme Cullen" Edward said, causing a light bulb to go off in my head.

I laughed. "Yeah, I was a regular for Carlisle all through high school" I admitted.

Edward laughed too, knowing how clumsy I used to be. He had actually gotten Alice to take me to some ballet lessons to learn some balance. I am now able to walk a flat surface and come out of it unscathed. I do still have some moments, but doesn't everybody?

"But hey, I have to tell you something…" I trailed off as he stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to tell him. "Elizabeth and I agreed on a future wife for you" I said as his face fell slightly.

I felt bad for killing his mood, but I had to tell him sooner or later. Sooner seemed to be better than later. He waited for me to continue.

"Her name is Tanya and I hate her" I told him as he grew a smile.

"Of course you do, love" he laughed, kissing my forehead. "I would be upset if you didn't" he added, to which I smiled.

I loved to hear little things like that. I loved to hear him say that he wanted me to be protective of him. I loved to hear that even when there were hundreds of girls just throwing themselves at him, he only wanted me.

"Elizabeth asked me to call her and set up a dinner for tomorrow evening so that you could meet the ungodly thing" I informed him.

He laughed at my description of her. "Will you be there?" he asked.

I didn't miss the hopeful look in his eyes. It made me feel a bit better about everything to know that he wanted me to be there. That he didn't want me to leave him alone with her.

"Yes. Elizabeth will be too" I told him, causing him to grin.

He ducked his head and captured my lips with his own. His hands moved to the top of my jeans and slipped underneath the fabric. He slowly began caressing and gripping my hips as one of my hands stayed in his hair while my other held onto his neck, not allowing his lips to leave mine.

He tugged my hips towards him and I moaned when I felt him just barely rub against me. He kissed me harder then, until I felt his tongue lick my bottom lip and I granted him access. My hands moved from his neck and I pushed his jacket down his arms. He pulled his hands away so the jacket could come off and then I grabbed the hem of his shirt. He lifted his arms and broke the kiss just long enough for me to push it off of him and then his hands were on me again, going underneath my t-shirt and working their way to my breasts. I ran my hands along his back, feeling his muscles work every time he moved.

Then so fast I didn't even realize he was doing it, my shirt joined his on the floor as his mouth moved down to my jaw and then landed on my neck, gently kissing, biting and sucking the skin there. I could hear my breathing pick up along with his as his hands went to my back and unclasped my bra. He pulled that off in one swift motion and then his mouth was on one of my breasts while his hand was on the other. His other hand wrapped around my back, supporting my weight when I arched into him. I moaned again and he brought his mouth back to mine.

His hands moved to my hips and he gripped one side with one of his hands while the other slid down my leg and wrapped around my knee. He pulled my leg up and hitched it around his waist. I pushed up with my other leg then and wrapped it too around his waist as he took us to his perfectly made bed. He placed me in the middle of the bed and I kept my legs around him while he held himself up on top of me.

My hands ran slowly along his back until I heard him moan from my touch. I didn't know how much longer I could wait, so I brought my hands to my jeans and opened the button and pulled on the zipper. He noticed what I was doing and hooked his fingers in one of my pockets to help me pull them off. His mouth left mind as he suddenly stopped and sat up. I looked at him confused, my chest heaving.

I watched his hand as he pulled a slip of paper out of my jeans pocket. He unfolded it and read what I already knew was Tanya's phone number. He read it and then looked at me, a grin suddenly appearing. He put his hand behind him and pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and held it along with the slip of paper, out to me.

"Call her" he said with his raspy voice.

We were both still panting as I eyed him and cautiously took the phone and the paper from him. I dialed the number and held it to my ear, crumpling the paper and throwing it on the floor as I would no longer need it.

As it rang, I felt my pants moving and looked to see Edward continue on pulling them down. He kissed along my leg wherever the fabric disappeared until they were entirely off, then he threw them on the floor. I smiled at him, liking this sudden idea he had come up with. An unknown slap in the face to Tanya. Mean as it may seem, I couldn't say I opposed to the thought.

"Hello?" I heard her snotty voice as I felt Edward's lips press down just above the hem of my panties.

I stifled a moan as his tongue darted out and licked a small line straight to my navel.

"Tanya?" I managed to stifle out as Edward's hands ran along my hips and the side of my stomach as he kissed his way up to my collarbone.

"Who is this?" she asked, sounding a celebrity who just found out the paparazzi figured out their phone number.

If I wasn't so distracted by Edward pealing away the last of my clothing and his, I would have laughed at how important she thought she was.

I bit my lip, again trying not to moan when his mouth moved to my neck and his hands caressed the inside of my thigh, teasing me.

"It's Bella" I said in a strained voice, feeling my toes curl in pleasure every time Edward's hands got closer to my entrance.

"Elizabeth's assistant?" she questioned and I would have nodded so I didn't have to say anything, but phone conversations didn't work like that.

I held in a gasp as Edward slipped a finger inside me and then continued on, adding or taking away another finger each time he did.

"Yes" It was slightly easier to say that as it had a double meaning in my current situation.

I took a calming breath as Edward removed his fingers and slid his hands along my sides, gripping my hips every once and a while. I prepared myself to spit out an entire sentence.

"Elizabeth would like…to invite you to…to dinner with…with…her, myself and…and…Edward" I accidentally moaned his name.

He looked up from my neck and stared at me, a smile playing on his lips because of the horrified look on my face. He laughed when I held my finger to my lips to signal that he should be really quiet if we didn't want to get caught. But I couldn't help myself, I was almost about to laugh myself.

I heard the suspicion in her voice and I wanted to laugh harder. "Okay…um, are you alright? You seem…distracted. Are you with someone?" she accused.

Yes, yes I am…I wanted to say.

"No, I'm just tired" I lied. "Anyways, I'll tell Elizabeth you agreed. Be at Mélisse at six o'clock" I told her before hanging up.

I set Edward's phone on the night-stand by his bed and then looked down at him. He was still smiling.

"Did we get caught?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

I laughed and pulled his mouth to mine. "Of course not" I said against his lips.

I felt him smile. "You know, doing that type of thing is good practice for us the next time someone who's not in on our secret calls and we're…busy" he teased.

I nodded my head and then pressed my lips to his again. I made the kiss deeper, hoping he would know that I was trying to pick up from where we left off before I accidentally moaned his name into the phone. After all, I did not go through all of that teasing for nothing…

* * *

___Next chapter, we go to dinner with Edward, Bella, Elizabeth and Tanya..._


	14. Dinner

_I'm sooo sorry this took so freaking long. It's like, I know what I want to happen in the chapters and everything, but I just can't seem to get it written. I'm trying though._

Bethany Knight _- seriously thought about that, but decided that Tanya is going to go through enough later on..._

LivforLove _- I love your honesty. But you have to keep in mind that not everybody thinks like you. I love my mother more than anything as well, which is exactly why I'd never want to hurt her. Of course, I wouldn't go about telling her the way that Bella and Edward are in this story, but my mother also wouldn't even entertain the idea of choosing my future husband._

Twilightholic-Tanya _- No worries. I bet your nothing like the Tanya in this story. And like you said, I needed a character and in the books Tanya is a very undeveloped character because we don't know much about her other than the fact that she's a vegan vampire that lives in Denali and had a thing for Edward. Well, there's probably more about her in the books, but we don't really know what type of personality she has, so thats probably why she is so commonly bashed. _

_Anyways, thank you sooo much for the reviews, I'm really sorry that this took forever and a day to post. I'll try to be better. Hope you guys like this, and enjoy!_

EDIT: links to the dresses are in my profile :)

* * *

**Dinner.**

_Mélisse_ was a very elegant restaurant. It was very classy in a way where you could dress formally or casually and still fit in. It was large and dimly lit with round tables scattered throughout the room. There were a line of booths at the back where the ceiling acted like an archway over each one. There were a few abstract paintings that commented the rooms' décor very nicely. I'd been here many times before as it was mothers' "special occasion" restaurant. I could see _nothing_ special about this occasion.

My mother even went as far as to make us dress very formally. I had intended to where black slacks and a white button up shirt, but imagine my surprise when I entered my room to find a suit and tie laid out on my bed. I didn't think it was necessary, but put it on anyway and was about to meet my mother downstairs when I saw her in the living talking to someone I barely recognized.

Had I not been so in love with Bella, I would have never figured out it was her who was talking to my mother. I stood on the stairs out of sight, staring at Bella as she laughed at something my mother said. They were both dressed in evening gowns and looked absolutely stunning.

My mother's dress was gold and flowed all the way to floor. It had a low cut neckline with a pleated bust and a beaded band at the empire waistline. The straps were normal in the front, but criss-crossed in the back. She had her auburn hair pinned back into a perfectly placed messy bun. I thought she looked beautiful, even with all of the very noticeable make-up.

Bella looked like a Grecian goddess. That was the only way I could describe her. The dress was a strapless white number that, like my mothers, flowed to the floor. It had a pleated bodice with beading on the circular cut out bands at the empire waist. Her hair was pinned half-way up and then done in soft curls that fell gracefully on her shoulders. Her make-up wasn't done anything like my mothers. You could barely tell she was wearing any. The only thing really noticeable was the black eye-liner and the red lipstick. Other then that, it looked very natural.

I took a breath, not knowing how I would survive not being able to touch Bella for this entire event and made my way into the living room. Both women turned to face me, still smiling about whatever they had been talking about. Bella's eyes lit up when she saw me and I was glad she had her back to my mother or else she would have noticed the lust at which Bella was looking at me with.

"Well Edward, you clean up nice," My mother complimented me as she stepped forward to hug me.

I hugged her back, careful to not damage her appearance. "I could say the same about you mother. You look stunning." I told her as she pulled away and smiled her thanks.

I didn't want to seem rude in front of mother, so I turned to Bella and picked up her hand. I brought it to my lips and placed a small kiss on the back of it. "Bella, beautiful as always" I hoped that wasn't giving too much away.

I released her hand as she pretended to blush for my mothers' sake. "Alice held me captive in my apartment for nearly two hours before she was finished," she smiled as my mother and I laughed.

"Alice will be Alice," my mother said, shaking her head, probably recalling the many events Alice had gotten my mother all dolled up for special events.

I smiled. "Shall we?" I asked, holding my arms out so they could hook their arms around mine.

They each took an arm and I walked them out to the limo my mother had arranged to pick us up. I thought this was all a bit much as it was just dinner, but my mother just laughed and said "You can't expect us to ride in anything less while dressed like this,". I shook my head, glad that my mother was one of the few who still had time to be silly when she wanted.

I spared a glance at Bella who too, was smiling at my mothers comment. I wanted to reach over and kiss her cheek, but there was no way I could do it without being caught. I mentally promised myself that I would do it later, when we were out of sight.

Bella and my mother both let go of my arm as the chauffeur stood holding the limo door open. I stood opposite to him and held my hand out to help the women get into the limo without ruining their dresses. It didn't take a genius to know how expensive the dresses probably were and ruined, they wouldn't be very useful.

After both Bella and my mother were seated, I slid in next to them and the chauffeur closed the door and walked around to the drivers' seat. The limo started and then we were off. I didn't feel nervous because I knew that whoever this "Tanya" was, she was nothing compared to _my_ Bella.

The ride to _Mélisse_ didn't take long. If I had to guess, I would say about ten minutes. I got out first, allowing the chauffeur time to open the door as it was part of his job and I didn't want to make him walk the whole way around for nothing. Once out, I resumed my position by the door with my hand out to help my mother and Bella back out of the limo. I thanked the chauffeur and then turned back to Bella and my mother. I held out my arms again as they each took one and then I led them inside. We stopped where a girl was standing at a podium with a vest and pants suit.

"Hi, how can I help you?" I didn't miss the double meaning to her words as she stared at me.

Apparently, neither did my mother as she narrowed her eyes at the girl and spoke with a slight warning in her voice. "We have a dinner reservation under the name Masen," she told the girl whose nametag read "Mallory".

Mallory looked down at the clipboard in front of her as her eyes scanned the list for our name. "Ah, here you are" she said, seeming to locate it. "Will it just be three?" she asked.

My mother shook her head. "We have one more coming."

Mallory nodded and then looked at a different sheet of paper. "And would you like a table on the floor or a private booth in the back?" she asked.

"Booth," My mother answered, seeming to have already thought about it beforehand.

Mallory nodded and then picked up four menus. "Right this way then." She said, noticing Bella for the first time though I couldn't understand how anyone would miss her.

Mallory glared at Bella and then turned her back and led us to a booth in the corner. She set a menu in each of the four places where we would be sitting and then left, mentioning that our waiter would be over shortly.

Bella slid in first and then my mother sat beside her, saying I should sit on the other side so that when Tanya got here, I could sit next to her. I put on my best fake smile and nodded, sliding in on the bench opposite of Bella.

"So what has Bella told you about Tanya?" my mother asked curiously, resting her chin on her hand that was propped up on her elbow.

I sighed. "Not much. Bella thought it would be better if I got to know Tanya on my own terms. After all, what would there be to talk about if I already knew everything about her?" I answered, saving Bella who had suddenly looked very worried as she had not told me anything about Tanya other than her name.

My mother smiled and turned to Bella. "That was very good thinking Bella, thank you." She told her.

Bella pretended to blush and ducked her head. The three of us continued to talk about random things until our laughter was interrupted when Mallory brought over a fourth to our party of three.

"Tanya, how lovely to see you." My mother greeted her as Tanya took her seat next to me.

Tanya looked very nice, I would give her that. She wore an orange evening gown that had rhinestones adorning the plunging neckline and bodice. There was a sash that tied in the back and cascaded down the front into a ruffle. The flowing ruffle skirt part of the dress reached the floor with a high front slit in the middle. Her blonder hair was tied up with the exception of a small curled strand left out with her bangs that were straightened and pushed to the side. She reminded me very much of Rosalie. The only difference was that Tanya's beauty paled in comparison.

Though I might have been a bit biased, even with all the make-up Tanya wore, Bella was still the prettiest at the table. Tanya's beauty was very made up where as Bella's was natural. Even my mother looked better than Tanya and she was pushing forty-five.

"Lovely to see you too, Elizabeth." Tanya said, and then turned her attention to Bella. I could see the displeasure on her face as she nodded her head towards her. "Bella."

"Nice to see you again, Tanya. You look great." I knew Bella was just being polite, but I couldn't help but notice the look of worry that took over Bella's features as she took in Tanya's appearance.

I knew what she was doing. Bella never saw herself as beautiful. I knew that she was looking at Tanya, thinking I'd be swayed by her beauty to leave her for Tanya. I felt a bit offended that she would even entertain the idea of me leaving her, but I knew it was just her self-esteem telling her lies. I moved my foot to let it rub reassuringly against Bella's leg as her eyes darted over to meet mine.

I stared at her and gave her a smile, telling her I loved her without needing to use words. She smiled and looked down before we could get caught during our silent exchange.

My mother and Tanya were discussing what Tanya did for a living which turned out to be model, go figure. Bella and I were silent, but laughed when it was appropriate and answered when we were spoken to. Other than that, I mostly just stared at Bella, imagining all the things I'd rather be doing with her instead of just sitting here.

My fantasies were interrupted when our waiter showed up. This time, it was a guy, but it made no difference as he stared back and forth at Bella and Tanya. His eyes lingered on Bella a bit longer than I would have liked. I wished he would focus more on Tanya and not look at my Bella at all.

"Good evening, I'm Sam and I'll be your waiter tonight," He started as he smiled. "What would like to start with?" he asked.

We first ordered our appetizers. I went with a seasonal vegetable salad and Tanya of course, ordered the same. Bella and my mother instead went with a mixed organic green salad. To drink, we all agreed to get a bottle of 1998 Domaine Robert Groffier Bourgogne to keep at the table. Sam wrote it all down and then hurried away.

"So Edward," My mother started, causing Bella and Tanya to both look at me. "Why don't you tell Tanya about some of your compositions?" she said.

Tanya turned to me, a look of confusion. "Compositions?" she asked.

I looked at Bella who was staring at her hands looking extremely uncomfortable. I touched her leg with mine again, before turning to Tanya. "I play the piano," I explained.

She smiled. "So you write your own music?" she asked.

I nodded. I didn't want to talk about this with her. My music was very personal. I only ever shared it with two people. My mother as she was the one who taught me to play and Bella because I couldn't play a single chord without creating something that reminded me of her.

Suddenly, I felt Tanya's hand reach up on top of the table and wrap around mine. "Will you write something for me?" she asked to which I didn't know what to say.

I wanted to say no, but that was not an option. I saw Bella briefly glance at me to tell me with her eyes that it was okay for me to say yes. So I did.

"Sure" but I didn't have to mean it.

Tanya smiled and then looked at Bella as if to rub it in her face that I was writing her a composition. Bella noticed and instead of ignoring it, she smiled back knowing full well that I had written countless compositions about her and that I intended to write nothing for Tanya.

"Your very lucky Tanya. He was amazing the first time I ever heard him play. He's only gotten better since." Bella complimented me, looking right into my eyes as she said it.

I was the only one who could have understood the double meaning to her words. The first time she had ever heard me play, I had to stop halfway through the composition because she was just too tempting. My composition quickly turned into a blur of clothing being removed and a lot of moaning and screaming of names. Hands down, it was the best composition I had _ever_ written.

"I'm only amazing when I'm inspired," I said, attempting modesty.

Bella smiled. "Oh stop, your amazing all the time," she said and I smiled and bit my lip to hide a laugh because our conversation seemed so innocent, but was quite the opposite.

I had forgotten that Tanya was holding my hand until she squeezed it, surprising me and causing me to break my eye-contact with Bella.

"You'll just have to show me how amazing you are," she said, using a double meaning herself.

I caught Bella's eye and saw her biting her lip trying to stifle a laugh. I almost laughed myself, but I nodded my head to Tanya so I wouldn't say something to offend her. I couldn't trust myself to speak just yet.

Luckily, I didn't have to say anything because our appetizers arrived, so I pretended that I was busy eating. We ate our appetizers and drank some of the wine with a reasonable amount of talking. Whenever silence would start to take over, one of us would talk. Usually it was my mother trying to make Tanya feel comfortable. I could care less whether or not Tanya was comfortable. I just wanted to take Bella and leave already.

I wasn't really paying that much attention to the conversation around me, but my head did shoot up when my mother spoke.

"Perhaps you should come to the house with us after dinner. I'm sure Edward would love that and it would be the perfect opportunity for him to play one of his compositions for you" she said as Bella shot me a glance, reminding me of the plans we'd already had and the consequences if we didn't follow through with them.

I nodded my head at her, assuring her that I hadn't forgotten about our plans for after dinner. Bella and I were under direct orders from Alice to meet her, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper at the park down the street so we could brief them about Tanya and start "Project Torture Tanya", as she'd called it. Anyone who knew Alice knew better than to disobey her. You never want to have a devilish pixie like her as your enemy. Trust me.

Tanya was about to accept my mothers offer, but I spoke before she could. "Actually, I don't think tonight is really a good night" I started as my mother shot me a dark glance.

"And why not, Edward? Don't tell me your spending the night at Emmett's or Jasper's because there's no reason you couldn't cancel" she said, letting her anger at my refusal show.

I sighed and was about to respond, but Bella beat me to it. "Actually Elizabeth, Alice wanted Edward and I to meet her and gang after dinner. She said she had a surprise for us and would never forgive us if we didn't show" she spoke calmly and very believably.

Bella had gotten good at thinking off the top of her head. I was grateful because that saved me from trying to come up with a good excuse.

"I suppose it would be a bad idea to have Alice angry at you" My mother mused, probably imagining all the times she'd seen Alice have a fit.

Bella and I nodded our heads in agreement.

"Wait, who's Alice?" Tanya asked, still clinging to my hand.

Bella responded. "She's a close friend of ours. You'll meet her soon enough, I would imagine. Any person who even dreams of being with either Edward or me must first pass the Alice Test. She's very protective of her friends and if she doesn't like you, you'll find out pretty quickly" she told her.

"What about Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie? Doesn't anyone who wants to be with them have to pass the Alice Test?" My mother asked, looking slightly confused.

I smiled. "No. You see, Alice is just elated that Rosalie and Emmett are together, so they're okay as long as they stay together, which we're all pretty positive they will. As for Jasper, that should obvious. The only person on the planet fit for Jasper _is_ Alice and I doubt either of them would have it any other way" I explained.

My mother nodded her understanding. The rest of the dinner went on much the same. We all talked about random things. I managed a few more double-meaning sentences at Bella without notice from anyone and then our entrées came and we had to eat.

Soon, it was time to leave and I tried my best not to sound too eager to leave. We stood outside the restaurant as we waited for a car to pick up Tanya as well as the limo to pick up my mother. I checked my wrist-watch for the time and saw that Bella and I had five minutes to reach the park before Alice would become impatient.

"Um, as much as I'd love to stay and wait with you guys, Bella and I have to go. We've got five minutes and then I'll have angry voice-mails courtesy of Alice" I told Tanya and my mother.

My mother laughed and hugged both me and Bella. I placed a kiss on her forehead and told her I wouldn't be out too late. Bella gave Tanya a polite hug, but I caught the dislike on both of their faces. I tried not laugh or smile about it. Then it was my turn to say goodbye to Tanya.

I wasn't really sure what one does when saying goodnight to the woman their mother expects them to marry, so I settled for simply taking her hand and placing a small kiss on the back of it. It was gentlemanly and romantic enough to satisfy my mother and Tanya didn't seem upset about.

"It was wonderful to meet you, Tanya" I said in the most sincere voice I could muster.

She nodded her head and surprised me when she leaned over and kissed my cheek. I tried very hard to not act childishly and wipe it away with the back of my hand. Instead, I smiled politely and then held out my arm for Bella to take.

Bella smiled to Elizabeth and Tanya once more before hooking her arm around mine and letting me lead her down the street in the direction of the park where everyone was waiting. I could feel Tanya's eyes burning into mine and Bella's entwined arms, but I figured she would get over it. It wasn't like we were being inappropriate or anything, I mean, I walk like this with my mother.

We reached a street corner where we had to turn and once we were out of sight, I shoved Bella against the wall and held her face in my hands and kissed her until she couldn't even think straight. Then I pulled away and held my arm around her as we continued to walk. She leaned herself into my side and rested her head on my shoulder as we walked.

It didn't take very long to get to the park. But when we did, Emmett wolf-whistled at Bella and Alice started shooting questions at us. Rosalie and Jasper were laughing in the background. They were all standing around a swing-set. There were three swings, two of which were occupied by Alice and Emmett. Jasper was leaning casually against one of the poles while Rosalie stood next to him.

"Damn Bella, you clean up nicely" Emmett commented to which Bella blushed furiously.

I laughed and sat down on the empty swing, pulling Bella onto my lap. Her feet didn't touch the ground, but mine did so I started moving my feet to make us slowly move back and forth.

"So tell us, what was the demon-lady like?" Jasper teased, flicking his head, so his hair would stay out of his eyes.

I grimaced. "Terrible. My mother must be extremely gullible in order to have let Bella choose a girl like that" I told them, my voice conveying my dislike for Tanya.

Rosalie raised her eyebrow. "That bad?" she asked, looking like she actually cared.

I nodded and Bella smiled. I couldn't help but smile back at her because I knew she was happy to know Tanya hadn't left a good impression on me. Why she ever doubted me, I didn't know. Did I not tell her I loved her almost every day?

We all looked at Alice when she started rubbing her hands together with a devious grin. "Alright, down to business" she said and even Rosalie looked eager to begin.


End file.
